They’re set to aid city emergency workers in case of a disaster

“That’s one interesting thing, we practice for a time we hope never comes,” said Bothell resident William Harding.

Harding is one of the key volunteers working with Bothell to set up what is now a network of about 60 amateur, or ham, radio operators ready to aid city emergency workers in the case of a major disaster such as an earthquake or similar happening.

For the most part, Bothell Fire Department officials hope the volunteers, who operate battery powered equipment and are spread throughout the city, will be able to provide information on the condition of areas emergency workers may not be able to immediately reach or let officials know where help is needed the most.

“We’re looking for these people to be our eyes and ears out there,” said Bothell Fire Department Public Information Officer Kirsten Clemens, who helped create the radio network. Clemens added that, if needed, radio operators also can help disseminate information, such as where to go for medical attention or food and water.

Clemens stated that to her knowledge Bothell is the only city in the area with as organized and extensive an amateur radio network. Officials began putting that network together in 2008 thanks to a large federal Emergency Management Performance Grant, $5,000 of which went into the radio program.

According to Clemens, the first step was identifying amateur operators throughout the city. Operators must be licensed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which provided the city with a listing of local license holders.

“We got quite a few responses,” Clemens said regarding the letters Bothell sent those licensees. All in all, about 30 percent of local amateur operators answered the city’s call for volunteers.

Eventually, Clemens said fire officials set up an emergency communications group that came up with procedures for operators to follow, such as what frequencies to use, what to look for in case of emergencies and so on. The city’s disaster plans divides Bothell into 17 disaster zones. In the event of a major emergency, officials will call on radio volunteers in each zone.

Setting up the network of existing radio operators was only the city’s first step. Clemens said the second, ongoing phase involves what was identified as Bothell’s most vulnerable populations: senior citizens and school-age youth.

Thanks to the grant funding, Bothell has been able to purchase amateur radio equipment and provide training for volunteers in many of the city’s public schools and its major retirement homes. Regarding the latter, Clemens said Bothell looked first to the Northshore Senior Center, as well as surrounding retirement homes. She said the thought is, in the event of an earthquake, the bridge leading to that area of the city could be lost.

Not incidentally, helping to provide training for new operators is where Harding really has shone as a volunteer, Clemens said.

“One of the things that got me involved is just wanting to help,” said Harding, who provides eight hours of instruction for new operators, helping them pass the required FCC licensing test. Last month, the training resulted in 10 new licenses for operators at Bothell schools and senior citizen homes.

For Harding, the draw of amateur radio was emergency communications. Clemens noted amateur operators provided vital communication links in the wake of numerous large-scale disasters such as Hurricane Katrina or the recent earthquakes in Haiti and Chile. But Harding also added having the ability to talk with people from around the world is also part of the attraction of operating an amateur radio.

And, yes, of course, one can communicate with far flung locales via the Internet. But according to Harding, the difference is amateur radio is self-sustained, off the grid, so to speak. He said he had spent the previous evening chatting with a fellow operator in Australia, probably the farthest place he’s been able to reach.

“It’s really exciting to sit in your home with a self-contained radio system… being able talk to somebody like that,” Harding said. “After a time, you develop friends in all sorts of locations.”

Anyone interested in becoming involved in the city’s emergency communications efforts can contact Clemens at (425) 489-3364 or send an e-mail to kirsten.clemens@ci.bothell.wa.us.