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Radio Amateurs Provide Communication Support in Boston Marathon Bombings — UPDATED
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).
“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.”
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.
The ARES sub-regional command center at the Acushnet, Massachusetts EOC (under call sign WA1EMA) was utilized as a control point to obtain critical situational awareness of the rapidly changing situation, as well as to monitor resource nets per a report filed by Acushnet Emergency Management Communications Officer Ed Caron, KA1RSY; he also serves as the South Shore Massachusetts ARES District Emergency Coordinator. A total of five Amateur Radio operators were deployed to this facility. An ARES resource net was called on the 147.18 Bridgewater repeater with Byron Piette, K1YCQ, as net control with 11 stations checking into the net.
“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 Carl Aveni, N1FY.
Some radio amateurs who volunteered in the Boston Marathon have posted their stories online; read one such story is from Tim Carter, W3ATB, of Meredith, New Hampshire.
From the President
February 11, 2013
Is it me, or is time flying by faster and faster? It seems like only last week that I was trying to figure out what I wanted to say in my January article. Now here it is February already! And you know what that means? First off a shorter month to try to cram a full month’s worth of work and play and Ham Radio into! Then there’s the planning for the Steamin’ Wheels Bike Race.
For the new folks, we help with the communications for the SWBR. It’s our way of saying “Thanks” to the city for letting us use the Chavez Rec Center. It’s also great practice for storm season and weather nets. Anita will be at the meeting to tell us more. Please consider volunteering, we usually need about 15 people for that.
Speaking of Storm Season… It won’t be long until we will be in our prime thunderstorm season! Who knows what kind of weather we will have this year! The Annual Skywarn Training is coming up. It is scheduled for February 23rd at 9am in the Hart Auditorium on the ACU campus. It’s open to the public and it’s FREE. Please come!
Following that on March 2nd, we will be starting another Technician class. If you know of anyone interested in getting a license please let Bill Shaw, Randy Robinson or me know. We have the books available for a nominal cost and there is no cost for the class.
Other than that, nothing else to do but play on the Ham Radio!
C U Monday night!
de RJ.
p.s.,
For Sale:
1 Slightly used ARRL Amateur Extra Study Guide.
Fair Condition.
Correct answers already marked.
NO LONGER NEEDED!
Contact KB5HGM/AE
—WGD Announces New Annual Division Awards—
Director David Woolweaver is pleased to announce the creation of the West Gulf Division Annual Division Awards. There are two primary awards: Ham of the Year and Young Ham of the Year, which will be complimented by a third award, the West Gulf Division Excellence Award. While the first two awards are self explanatory, the third award represents any Amateur Radio endeavor that the nominators feel deserves recognition. Suggested categories can be found on the Division website. www.arrlwgd.org They include Educator of the Year, Radio Scouter of the Year, Technical Achievement and Amateur Radio Organization of the Year among many others. For the WGD Excellence Award only, the nominators are not limited to the suggested categories.
Divisional Awards will be presented at the West Gulf Division Convention each year. Nominations for 2012 Award Winners will be accepted until April 15, 2013 for presentation at HamCom in June. Nomination forms for each nominee (by category) must be supported by at least three ARRL members on the award nomination form, a minimum 150-word statement and any available supporting documentation. Other rules do apply and can be found on the WGD website at www.ARRLWGD.org.
The Division Awards judging panel consists of four (4) ARRL members, selected by each of the Section Managers in North Texas, Oklahoma, South Texas and West Texas Sections. The Section Manager may opt to appoint his/herself to the committee. The fifth judge is selected by the Division Director and may reside anywhere within the West Gulf Division. Neither the Division Director nor the Vice Director will participate in the vote.