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As has happened many times in years past, over 200 Amateur Radio operators
participated in communications for the Boston Marathon on Monday, April 15,
2013. Unlike prior challenging situations such as very warm weather for the
runners or other weather-related challenges, this year's marathon will be
remembered for the bombings that took place at the finish line. Despite this
heinous act, professional first responders, medical volunteers from the
American Red Cross that staffed the route, and Amateur Radio operators
performed magnificently in the face of adversity.

"Within minutes, cell phone systems became overloaded and making phone calls
and text messages was difficult. Amateur Radio operators performed
communication duties under duress and performed admirably. No Amateur Radio
volunteers were injured on the course in this terrible act," said Steve
Schwarm, W3EVE, who is the Amateur Radio Course Communication Coordinator
and associated with a consortium of clubs and groups known as Marathon
Amateur Radio Communications ( <http://www.mmra.org/marc/> MARC).

"At the finish line net control, which was only 400 feet from the initial
blast, we heard the explosion. I poked my head outside to confirm what I
thought it was and saw the white smoke. We immediately knew what had
happened and commenced a roll call of all ham operators and medical tents.
State Police authorities initially ordered us to lock down and post a ham
for security watch outside the net control trailer. Thankfully none of our
people were hurt," said Paul Topolski, W1SEX, Amateur Radio Finish Line
Coordinator.

Following the explosion and roll call, Topolski stated that they began
pulling together updates and sent the information via the Massachusetts
Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) Web-EOC software tool and provided
updates via Amateur Radio. Shortly after sending a few updates both Boston
Police and Massachusetts State Police gave the order for the tent area to be
evacuated. "In my mind, the course end of things is where a lot of work
needed to happen as runners eventually needed to be stopped, congregated and
transported to safety and staging areas," Topolski said. "At the finish
line, our job was to check on the safety of our people, provide those
initial updates and evacuate per police instructions. Three of our Amateur
Radio operators redeployed to the Boston Marathon Course Net Control
Center."

Across the course outside of the finish line after the bombings occurred,
first aid stations were consolidated to larger first aid stations to pool
runners for pickup and to keep runners warm as there were enhanced tents
along the route where runners could be kept warm and hydrated. At the
Heartbreak Hill first aid station, amateur operators had a complete base
station setup, including a computer, and were prepared to handle health and
welfare traffic as required. Several shelters were set up along the route at
churches and schools, and Amateur Radio operators from secured first aid
stations went to those shelters, providing communications in those areas
until runners were moved out of their locations.

"My role at the request of Steve, W3EVE, as event organizer before the race
was to shadow the course medical tent coordinator for the Red Cross, Kandi
Finch," said Rob Macedo, KD1CY, who is also the Eastern Massachusetts ARES
Section Emergency Coordinator. "It was a challenging position but all
organizers on both the Amateur Radio side and Red Cross side said things
went well in coordinating during normal race conditions and particularly
after the bombings."

At course net control, which was away from the bombings, ham operators
controlled their nets calmly and professionally while also expressing an
appropriate level of urgency. Over a dozen amateurs at the net control
center pooled together to announce messages and keep status of changes along
the course route as required.

Net Control Center Coordinator, Karen Brothers, K1KEB, kept in constant
contact with MEMA, where Terry Stader, KA8SCP, was stationed. Stader became
the MEMA 'Ops' point person at the State Emergency Operations Center as
runners were transported from the shelters to other staging locations. From
his location at the EOC, Stader was able to sort out the sheltering plan and
reception centers for the runners, subsequent transport of runners from
shelter locations and give out information on MBTA bus and train operations.

Jim Palmer, KB1KQW -- who served as a net control at the Net Control Center
-- stated that nets were doubled up on operators, to allow one person to
operate the radio while the other listened and logged priority calls and
ambulance requests, creating a more efficient operation. "Several ambulance
requests for dehydration and exhaustion were handled due to the runners
needing to be stopped," Palmer said. The specific net that Palmer ran also
provided a link between the marathon course and the American Red Cross in
its Cambridge facility. Lou Harris, N1UEC; Frank O'Laughlin, WQ1O, and Dan
Howard, K1DYO, staffed the Red Cross in Cambridge. 

Many amateur operators who volunteered along the marathon route praised Net
Control's support after the bombing. "Net Control did an awesome job," said
course volunteer David Wihl, KB1VEG. "The workload was busiest after seven
hours on the radio, and it didn't let up for another couple hours."

Several young radio amateurs from the Clay Center Amateur Radio Club also
supported Net Control Operations, both as direct net control operators and
runners for the operation as they have done in the past. This provided a
tremendous learning opportunity for these young operators, from both an
Amateur Radio perspective and an overall learning perspective.

"Despite the total lack of warning in this situation, amateurs followed a
creed I've long since preached since the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the
mutual aid response to those attacks: 'blessed are the flexible for they
will not get bent out of shape,'" said Steve Schwarm, W3EVE. "Amateurs on
the course did what they had to do to assure their own safety and runner
safety working with the Red Cross medical people. They did an outstanding
job and I was told so by Red Cross organizers as well."