HAM Public Service

[ghettomedic]

Interesting. Based on what I was reading earlier, I was wanting to volunteer less and less for the BAA race...but if they really aren't going to use the commercial stuff, then hams still have a value. I read it as if they wanted to get rid of the hams altogether. Guess not.

Yes, Ambulance requests will be going through the commercial radios primarily as MEMA wants those transmissions to be encrypted and come directly to the Framingham bunker where they will handle ambulance dispatch. This also removes an extra hand off of information.

The BAA guy in charge came to the ham break-out training yesterday and gave us a little pep talk indicating we are valued and he really appreciates our service. He was "doing politics" so there's always a chance there was some BS in it, but I don't think so. Whenever the hams were mentioned in the various presentations it was in a tone like we were part of the team.

I have personally spoken to the lead BAA Medical guy (Sorry, can't think of his name) at other events and he definitely appreciates the work Hams do The commercial radio thing came down from above, beyond the BAA.

 

[cockpitbob]

Yes, Ambulance requests will be going through the commercial radios primarily as MEMA wants those transmissions to be encrypted and come directly to the Framingham bunker where they will handle ambulance dispatch. This also removes an extra hand off of information.


I have personally spoken to the lead BAA Medical guy (Sorry, can't think of his name) at other events and he definitely appreciates the work Hams do The commercial radio thing came down from above, beyond the BAA.

Having EMTs using encrypted radios also helps with complying with HIPAA medical privacy rules When I worked a med tent we were instructed to never use a runner's name or transmit anything that could identify them. We use runners bib numbers only.

The head guy's name is Chris something.

 

[ghettomedic]

The head guy's name is Chris something.

That's right, Chris Troyanos. He's a good guy.

 

[cockpitbob]

That's right, Chris Troyanos. He's a good guy.

He does seem like a good guy but pretty much every speaker gave him a ration of $hit for having us get up early enough to be in Framingham at 7:30am on the morning we had to set our clocks forward.

 

[blindfire]

Seriously, if it is a break-out meeting, why the hell do you have to be up before 0-dark-30? Prepping you for the day of the race???

 

[cockpitbob]

Seriously, if it is a break-out meeting, why the hell do you have to be up before 0-dark-30? Prepping you for the day of the race???

I think it was actually a kindness. The real action went from 8:00am to a little after noon. Making it start later would have put it in the middle of the day and pretty much wrecked Saturday for me. The general stuff of interest to hams as well as medical staff happened first, they we separated and hams spent a couple hours doing ham stuff and the med people did med stuff. It's all good, but doing it on the first morning that we "spring forward" made getting up a little rough