Volunteer Groups Train for Emergencies During National Amateur Radio Event
Members of the Red River Radio Amateurs will be participating in the national Amateur Radio Field Day exercise, June 22nd and 23rd, at the Cass County Highway Department Building, 1201 W Main Ave, West Fargo, ND. Since 1933, ham radio operators across North America have established temporary ham radio stations in public locations during Field Day to showcase the science and skill of Amateur Radio. This event is open to the public and all are encouraged to attend.
For more than 100 years, Amateur Radio—also called ham radio—has allowed people from all walks of life to experiment with electronics and communications techniques, as well as provide a free public service to their communities during a disaster or emergency, all without needing a cell phone or the Internet. Field Day demonstrates ham radio’s ability to work reliably under any conditions from almost any location and create an independent communications network. More than 35,000 people from thousands of locations participated last year in Field Day 2018 activities.
This year, The Salvation Army Emergency Disaster Services (EDS) Team will be supporting ham radio operators by providing water and meals as a training opportunity. Amateur radio operators provide vital communications to agencies such as The Salvation Army during times of disaster.
“It just seemed like a logical fit for our two groups to work and train together” said Andrew Lynch, Team Lead of The Salvation Army’s EDS Team. “I personally am a ham radio operator, and have seen first-hand how ham radio operators can assist our disaster operations. This is an excellent chance for us to boost that relationship and get valuable training from a planned event.”
Field Day operations begin at 1pm on Saturday, June 22nd and run through 1pm on Sunday, June 23rd. A person does not have to be a ham radio licensee to attend—this is a great chance to see what ham radio is all about and learn how to get involved. More information can be found at https://rrra.org/
Media Contacts
- Amateur Radio:
- Salvation Army:
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