{"id":13360,"date":"2020-01-23T10:30:45","date_gmt":"2020-01-23T15:30:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsroom.ocfl.net\/?p=13360"},"modified":"2022-01-12T12:07:06","modified_gmt":"2022-01-12T17:07:06","slug":"hamming-it-up-amateur-radio-operators-provide-vital-service-to-orange-county-residents","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsroom.ocfl.net\/2020\/01\/hamming-it-up-amateur-radio-operators-provide-vital-service-to-orange-county-residents\/","title":{"rendered":"Hamming it Up: Amateur Radio Operators Provide Vital Service to Orange County Residents"},"content":{"rendered":"

During a natural or man-made disaster, successful communication is critical to the safety of everyone. Fortunately, Orange County Government\u2019s Emergency Management<\/a> ensures all residents are kept informed. A critical part of these efforts are amateur radio, also known as ham radio, whose operators can still communicate if power goes down.<\/p>\n

Orange County Amateur Radio Emergency Communications<\/a> (OCARES) is a volunteer group\u00a0that offers\u00a0emergency communications\u00a0for Orange County and provides communications for\u00a0public service\u00a0events such as walkathons, bike tours and charitable functions. Members can be found staffing an evacuation shelter one weekend and coordinating communications for a parade the next.<\/p>\n

John Knott, a member of OCARES, defines the group as a network of volunteers who simply like to help the community.<\/p>\n

\u201cAmateur radio is considered a hobby, but in an emergency it\u2019s a public safety commitment,\u201d said Knott. \u201cWe serve as the last line of defense when other forms of communication go down during infrastructure failures.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ham radio volunteers, including Knott, operate in the Orange County Emergency Operations Center during hurricanes. They were there during 2004 hurricanes Charley, Frances and Jeanne, as well as 2005 hurricanes Dennis, Katrina and Wilma. More recently, they assisted during Hurricane Dorian and were essential during health and welfare checks on families in Puerto Rico during Hurricane Maria.<\/p>\n