[SFDXA] Radio Amateurs Provide Communication Support in Boston Marathon Bombings

[Bill]

        Radio Amateurs Provide Communication Support in Boston Marathon
        Bombings

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    04/16/2013
    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
    (MARC <http://www.mmra.org/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.
    “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.”
     From an ARES perspective, a heightened state of awareness on the
    Boston Marathon event is typical, but within 15 minutes of the
    bombings, Eastern Massachusetts ARES Assistant Section Emergency
    Coordinator, Carl Aveni, N1FY, issued an ARES Stand-By and requested
    that amateurs give availability for the next 24 hours. Within
    minutes, 20 amateurs offered their availability.
    “In terms of having amateurs within ARES who cannot get directly
    involved in the marathon, we have a process where we have them
    monitor in case of a situation like what occurred on Monday. That
    process paid off and facilitated a rapid response to our request for
    possible additional support,” said Aveni.
    “Additional details and more input to this story are unfolding and
    will be updated as that information is pulled together,” Macedo said.
    --/Thanks to Paul Topolski, W1SEX; Steve Schwarm, W3EVE, and Rob
    Macedo, KD1CY, for the information./