The Sunnyvale Sun
News
Photograph by Brian Connelly
Bob Gundrum, the emergency coordinator/chief radio officer for the city of Sunnyvale, at his desk in the Department of Public Safety. In an emergency, this is where Gundrum would transmit directives and information if normal lines of communication were disrupted.
Ham radio volunteers are an asset
By SAMANTHA ROBERTSON
When the next big earthquake strikes Sunnyvale, phone lines and cell phone towers may be down, and it will be difficult to reach emergency services.
Enter the members of the Sunnyvale Amateur Radio Emergency Service.
The 100 registered amateur--or "ham"--radio operators who make up the all-volunteer organization would set up stations at fire houses, schools and various other sites throughout the city to provide a communications link between Sunnyvale residents and emergency services.
"We train volunteers weekly and hold quarterly exercises in order for them to gain net control experience," said Bob Gundrum, emergency coordinator for the organization.
Past quarterly exercises have included such specific scenarios as locating the missing car of an elderly woman who needs to take her medication.
Gundrum, a retired public safety dispatcher and Sunnyvale resident who's been with the organization for four years, said police seek the assistance of ham radio volunteers for various activities not related to emergencies.
"One of our hams was called in to work in Cupertino for the Fourth of July to be an extra set of eyes and ears for the holiday activities," he said.
Jim Oberhofer, the emergency coordinator for the Cupertino ARES, said in the past few years, the federal government has encouraged U.S. citizens across the country to get ham radio licenses.
"Last I heard, there were about 8,000 ham radio operators in this country, and the number is probably growing," he said.
It costs less than $200 for equipment and certification fees to become an operator.
Jack Rowe, a Sunnyvale resident and radio history buff, said the removal of Morse code from the federal certification requirements has made it possible for any person off the street to become an efficient ham radio operator.
"My friend's wife was certified not too long ago, and she had no prior knowledge or experience with ham radios," he said.
Oberhofer said radio is still the primary means of communication in emergency situations because of its simplicity and independence from complicated infrastructures.
"Modern communications systems, such as phones and cell phones, rely on power and antenna towers, and those are the first things to go in an earthquake," he said.
Gundrum and other Sunnyvale hams practiced their radio communication skills during the Emergency Radio Operator Field Day, held June 24 at Raynor Park.
The countywide drill, in which operators made contact with emergency service operators throughout the country, certified how helpful radio hams can be in local and national emergency situations.
"One of our operators got in contact with people on the East Coast and in Hawaii," Gundrum said. "If we were called on to provide services for Hurricane Katrina, we would have been able to provide the support needed."
For more information about Sunnyvale ARES, email emergency coordinator Bob Gundrum at pafidt@rawbw.com or visit www.sunnyvaleares.org.
