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Thread: Amateur Radio Op helps with emergency in Joplin, MO

  1. #1
    Beach Bum
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    Post Amateur Radio Op helps with emergency in Joplin, MO

    RESCUE RADIO: THE HERO HAMS OF THE JOPLIN TORNADO
    Some high drama has emerged in the aftermath of the tornado that ripped
    through Joplin, Missouri, on Sunday night May 22nd. It's a story of
    true ham radio heroism as supplied to us by Patti Flowers-Palmer,
    KD0AEL, and Amateur Radio Newsline's Don Carlson, KQ6FM, has the
    details:
    --
    Patti Flowers-Palmer, KD0AEL, tells Amateur Radio Newsline that it was
    on Sunday evening, May 22nd while a young amateur was finishing with
    post Skywarn Net Control duties that a voice was heard calling for help
    over the 146.91, W0EBE, repeater. Caleb Burns, KD0BWT, responded to
    that call. It was coming from the Freeman Hospital in Joplin,
    Missouri. The news it carried was that a devastating F5 tornado had
    destroyed much of the community as well as its regional medical
    facility.
    In that exchange, crucial medical supplies were ordered and medical
    teams were called to duty. Initially, the call was made by an
    Information Technology person at that location. He was relieved by
    Thomas Ellicott, N0EKP, who deployed to assist his own stricken
    community.
    As that transmission was taking place, Steve Palmer KA0SPM, and his
    wife Patti KD0AEL, Andrew Brashers KD0HUN and Jonathan Rinty KD0OSF,
    all who had been deployed as Skywarn spotters, responded by driving to
    Cox South Hospital in Springfield, Missouri. Meantime, Tom Hargis
    WX0SML and Jamas Justice, KD0GUU, both of whom had been deployed with
    Skywarn, drove to St. John's Regional Medical Center also located in
    Springfield. Both of these hospitals are regional Medical Centers for
    Southwest Missouri.
    Upon arriving and finding that the radio rooms near the Incident
    Command Centers were void of any amateur equipment, operators at both
    locations began relaying information from doctors and nurses from using
    their own mobile radio gear. This, to begin the crucial process of
    moving injured from the overwhelmed Freeman Hospital to several
    Springfield trauma centers.
    With immediate needs met, the hospitals worked with the amateurs to
    provide locations for the operators to set up mobile radios as base
    stations so that communications could continue. One was located in an
    incident command at St. John's and the other in the ambulance bay of
    Cox South. As this was occurring, KD0BWT grabbed a handie-talkie and
    headed for Ozarks Community hospital where he established mobile
    command. A short time later, Pat Conway WA6JGM and Clifton Smith
    KC0SQU responded by taking a mobile unit to Ozarks and setting up a
    more permanent station at that location.
    The amazing band opening that had allowed the initial communications
    began to fade and KA0SPM deployed to the National Weather Service in
    Springfield where he relayed messages via the 145.21 repeater. That
    machine had survived the tornado that ravaged other parts of the
    Joplin area.
    According to KD0AEL, before the night was over, there was a tremendous
    outpouring of offers from amateurs over the entire area who offered any
    assistance they could provide to keep communications flowing. During
    the week that followed, a number of hams continued to call to offer
    assistance and they were directed to the coordinators of the CERT
    search and rescue efforts.
    For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Don Carlson, KQ6FM, reporting from
    Reno, Nevada.
    --
    As a side note, Patti says that the operator that received the first
    transmission was on his honeymoon but had been acting as net control
    for the Greene County Skywarn. Talk about total dedication to duty.
    (KD0AEL)
    "It's better to be hated for who you are, than to be loved for who you are not"
    Jeremiah (aka W9JAM)

  2. #2
    Conch Master suddenseer's Avatar
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    Sounds like the folks in Mo have their brains set to "common sense" mode. Here where I live, the net control, or other hams will not respond to a call from a non ham at the control point of a station, even in a life or death emergency.

    cul de n8tb
    "Sadly, it always takes a few martyrs to get the ball rolling." Colonel Tim Boldman 2001
    "There are no differences but differences of degree between different degrees of difference and no difference."--William James
    "Science flies you to the moon. Religion flies you into buildings." Victor J. Stenger

  3. #3
    'Grumpy old bastid' kb2vxa's Avatar
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    I was going to make a snide remark about the new wife's opinion of dedication to duty but thought better of it.
    "The universe is under no obligation to make sense to you."
    Neil deGrasse Tyson

    73 de Warren KB2VXA
    Station powered by atomic energy, operator powered by natural gas.

  4. #4
    Conch Master suddenseer's Avatar
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    My snideness is directed at those local hams I know. Personally, I would answer any distress call I hear on any amateur frequency. I can think of many scenarios where it would be proper for me to do it. I really doubt if there would be repercussions about amateur to non-amateur communications. In a life or death emergency, the rules be damned.

    cul de n8tb
    "Sadly, it always takes a few martyrs to get the ball rolling." Colonel Tim Boldman 2001
    "There are no differences but differences of degree between different degrees of difference and no difference."--William James
    "Science flies you to the moon. Religion flies you into buildings." Victor J. Stenger

  5. #5
    Pope Carlo l NQ6U's Avatar
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    Part 95 specifically says that in a life or death situation, you are allowed to use any available radio frequency to send a distress call—licensed or not.
    All the world’s a stage, but obviously the play is unrehearsed and everybody is ad-libbing his lines. Maybe that’s why it’s hard to tell if we’re living in a tragedy or a farce.

  6. #6
    Conch Master W7XF's Avatar
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    I think you meant Part 97. Part 95 is Chickenband. And you're right, in an emergency, ANYTHING goes.
    Encrypt everything. Even if you have nothing to hide. It increases the noise floor.

  7. #7
    Pope Carlo l NQ6U's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by W7XF View Post
    I think you meant Part 97. Part 95 is Chickenband. And you're right, in an emergency, ANYTHING goes.
    That's a big 10-4 good buddy.
    All the world’s a stage, but obviously the play is unrehearsed and everybody is ad-libbing his lines. Maybe that’s why it’s hard to tell if we’re living in a tragedy or a farce.

  8. #8
    Tiki Bearer WB0LSR's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by suddenseer View Post
    Sounds like the folks in Mo have their brains set to "common sense" mode. Here where I live, the net control, or other hams will not respond to a call from a non ham at the control point of a station, even in a life or death emergency.
    Are you Serious????


    That's just crazy.. in a life or death emergency any person can use any frequency that there is, with no need for a license. This behavior you describe is almost criminal IMO. Understanding how a person could listen to a distress call and just ignore it isn't in my programming. Does not compute.

  9. #9
    Fertility Shaman KB2SFH's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by kb2vxa View Post
    I was going to make a snide remark about the new wife's opinion of dedication to duty but thought better of it.
    Good choice Warren
    First licensed October 31, 1994 as No Code Technician
    Upgraded to General in April, 2006 WITH CODE
    Upgraded to EXTRA written on May 12, 2007

    ARRL Life Member

    73 DE KB2SFH
    (5 WPM EXTRA AND PROUD OF IT!!!)
    BE PROUD OF YOUR CALL SIGN, YOU EARNED IT!!!





  10. #10
    Fertility Shaman KB2SFH's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by suddenseer View Post
    Sounds like the folks in Mo have their brains set to "common sense" mode. Here where I live, the net control, or other hams will not respond to a call from a non ham at the control point of a station, even in a life or death emergency.
    As hams, we are DUTY-BOUND to help in every way possible if we hear distress calls no matter who is doing the calling. If a ham hears an emergency and does nothing about it then they are in the wrong hobby and should rip up their license and give away their equipment to a ham who will help.
    First licensed October 31, 1994 as No Code Technician
    Upgraded to General in April, 2006 WITH CODE
    Upgraded to EXTRA written on May 12, 2007

    ARRL Life Member

    73 DE KB2SFH
    (5 WPM EXTRA AND PROUD OF IT!!!)
    BE PROUD OF YOUR CALL SIGN, YOU EARNED IT!!!





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