Hams Volunteer to Face Danger

These are the Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service members in my little town. We have quite an active group. These are the folks who volunteer to maintain training throughout the year, so that when disaster strikes our community communication can still be maintained. Yep, these are the Ham operators - hams for short.

I recently had the pleasure of meeting with these guys, mostly retired engineers although one is retired from National Public Radio in New York City.

Listening to their schedule of field days and training sessions was a humbling experience for me. I live in an area which is known for its tornado activity, and it's reassuring to know these guys are in my back pocket looking out for the many pitfalls which might render an emergency a true disaster.

The group (Did I mention all are volunteers?) regularly trains with the local hospital and emergency personnel in disaster drills both on local and statewide levels. They keep their eyes on potential inconsistencies in the infrastructures supporting the communication framework.

With the fourth anniversary of 9-11 just around the corner, it's a good time to tip our hats to these brave and generous citizens who work to keep us safe.