[PBARC] Amateur Radio at White Hall Founder's Day

[E. Glenn Wolf, Jr.]

K5DAK  - White Hall Founder Day
 
On Saturday August 28, 2004, White Hall celebrated its  founding.  Bernard
Fineberg, WB5UGJ, contacted me earlier in the week and asked if we should
take advantage of an opportunity to setup a booth at the Park to demo ham
radio and let folks find out what we are about.  I said let go for it, even
though it was late notice and participation might be low.
 
Well, let me say that we got the exposure but not the way any of us
expected.  Within 30 minutes of our initial setup, we had four hams on site
- Bernard Fineberg, WB5UGJ, Kristi Wold, KC7AKN, John Gaines, N5VGJ, and
myself, Glenn Wolf, N5RN.  Just a few minutes after we completed our "Hi,
how are you" conversations, we heard the cries of a girl and an adult
looking for some medical help.  The local medical service hadn't completed
their setup and were away from where they were setting up.  It was obvious
that the girl needed some medical help.
 
We were suddenly put in a situation where we needed to find the girl some
help.  We found a local police officer and told him the situation all the
while we had someone in this small group hams placing phone calls trying any
means available to them to find this young girl some help.  Finally, we got
word that the ambulance was on its way. Suddenly, our roles had changed from
finding help to that of providing traffic control watching for the ambulance
and getting it to the location it was needed.  The role of traffic control
continued as the ambulance had to block one lane of street that was being
used for the parade and for the public to find parking.
 
As we provided the traffic control support, the Mayor of White Hall and the
White Hall Police Chief stopped by and talked to us about what a great
service we provided.  They both expressed their appreciation and asked if we
would become more involved.  Of those hams there, there was an emphatic
"yes".  
 
As the morning progressed, we again found ourselves working to get help for
a diabetic that had become overheated, As this situation calmed down, John
Gaines, N5VGJ, was greeted by Senator Mike Ross who expressed his
appreciation for what we were doing in the name of Amateur Radio and public
service.
 
Folks, this is what amateur radio is about.  We helped the first girl get
the medical attention she needed and we provided the support to get the
ambulance to her.  If she had been the only victim of the heat today, I
would have been satisfied that we helped her.  As it turned out there were 5
more people that developed heat problems.  Through our coordinated efforts,
this small group of hams provided traffic control to help get the ambulance
in and out of the area.
 
We need to join together and organize to make things like this happen.  The
city of White Hall definitely seems interested in having us involved.  If we
can get EVERYONE involved we can really do this and do it in such a way that
we put the Hams in the positive light of being available and doing things
right and professionally!