From Volunteer Center of Racine County
The facility is staffed and maintained by volunteers and is equipped with the apparatus necessary for carrying on radio communications in the Amateur Radio Service. This station can be used for training exercises and for emergency communications. The station is located in the Volunteer Center at 42.72030 -87.85665 (N 42° 43' 13.08" W 87°51' 23.94")
Ham radio volunteers assist disaster relief
RACINE, WI- Local Amateur Radio Emergency Service operators were called into action after the outbreak of tornadoes in Kenosha County which destroyed houses and knocked out power late Monday afternoon. The operators, often called Hams, began providing support communications for the agencies responding to the disaster
Volunteering their services, the Hams provided logistical communications at the two relief shelters which the Red Cross opened in Kenosha County. The Hams also operated a station at the Kenosha County Emergency Operation Center.
The areas hardest hit by the storm were the townships of Wheatland, Somers,and the city of Kenosha. Riding along with Red Cross teams, the Hams began their communications routine helping relay assessments of the damage back to the American Red Cross building in Racine.
"Providing communications is essential," said Alex Voss N9RGX, Assistant Emergency Coordinator for the Racine County ARES.
"Cellphones are not up to the task. When the teams deployed in the field need to call in their reports, you don't want them fumbling with a cellphone. You can't have everyone calling the same phone number at once, either. Having a dedicated, trained person who can radio the information back to the Red Cross is essential in getting the time-valued information where it's needed fast," Voss said. Hams keep track of the location of communications teams. They monitor the location of communications teams. "Organization is key. We set up a communications network at the Red Cross building in Racine outside of the affected area. As radio operator volunteers we assign them to a location. Keeping track of the location of each team member and their situation helps maintain safety. When a disaster strikes, we don't want to add any of our volunteers to the list of affected individuals," Voss said.
"We were ready to go when activated. I couldn't be more proud of our volunteers. We will work with the responding agencies as long as they need us. We'll take what we've learned this time and use it to improve our response in the future," Voss said.
With about 20 radio operators deployed in the field, the Hams were able to provide effective communications for the responding agencies.
The Racine County ARES meets weekly on Thursdays at the Volunteer Center of Racine County at 6216 Washington Avenue Suite G. Persons interested in learning more about Ham radio or emergency communications should contact Jim Markstrom, Racine County ARES Emergency Coordinator website: http://www.rcares.org or call (262) 909-3996.