This is my county's emergency communications Mobile Support Unit (MSU). Unfortunately when the AC unit was removed for repair, the seals were installed incorrectly and the entire unit flooded during a rain storm and it became a haven for mold and mildew.
The county doesn't have the money to restore it, but given the NC flood disaster last year, they really want this thing back up and functional. Long story short, last October a few of us in the local amateur radio club volunteered to rebuild it top to bottom. We gutted it, tore off the flimsy roof, welded in structural roof supports and covered it with 1/2" plywood. Then last month we prepped it for a new roof membrane and installed a watertight roof system.
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Over the winter months I cleaned all the VHF/UHF and HF radios of mold and corrosion and put them back in good shape. We also ran new wiring for all the interior electrical services. Moving right along, yesterday we installed the roof mounted AC system that we rebuilt, and this coming week we install new emergency lights and trim.
Haven't sat on my old butt at all and keeping busy with my HAM radio activities as well.
I'll show more pics when we begin installing emergency radios, antennas, and other electrical do-dads.
Onward!
GF
Thank you for your service.
I am not a HAM operator, but am active on a couple of the GRMS emergency response nets here. After the Camp Fire in Paradise several years ago, people became aware that there was often no communication available during emergencies.
None of the utilities are underground here and cell service is spotty or nonexistent in many areas of the county. When a wildfire takes down the utility poles, power, landline phones and cell service disappear immediately.
The County Sheriff's office set up some GMRS repeaters with wide coverage and established a program to provide residents with GMRS radios for emergency communication. I volunteer as a net control operator on the main county net and call the roster about once a month during the weekly check-ins. Currently, there are about 40 regulars who check in weekly. This is a good way to make sure that information is getting out during emergencies.
Those poor people in Paradise had no way to know what was heading their way. Nearly 100 died.
We do what we can. Again, thank you.
Thanks Will! ... and also kudos to you and your County Sheriff's office for thinking outside the box on these matters; especially in your part of the country. GMRS was a godsend for many of our rural Appalachian communities when the floods hit in late 2024. The technology, range, and supporting infrastructure met the needs of many local government budgets and it helped save lives.
For my part, I'm a local ARES member and serve as the net manager and NCO for our weekly VHF ARES net, and our bi-weekly 80M HF net. We practice deployment and setup several times a year. Most recently we setup during the annual ARRL Summer Field Day that was held at the end of June. We were able to get three radio station (two HF and one VHF) setup and running in 45 minutes. That included the deployment two 40M and 80M EFHW antennas. Four years ago we couldn't do it in less than four/five hours. Practice, planning and team cohesion made the difference.
At this stage I'm too old to deploy out into the field during an actual emergency because I'm not up to the physical search and rescue demands anymore. However, in an emergency I can deploy to maintain the equipment in the Mobile Support Unit, and also help troubleshoot anything that may go wrong with the local VHF/UHF repeater.
I'm still able to work on cars in my shop, but father time takes a bigger cut in physical mobility every year, and HAM radio allows me stay mentally active and engaged.
Have a great week Will!
All the best --
GF
I was seriously thinking about joining the county CERT team, but like you said, age has destroyed my deployability. Many participants on the weekly GMRS net are CERT members, Cal Fire, or Sheriff's Office personnel.
I figure I can operate a radio and relay information, as I am just about the only one in my area of the county. My base radio has battery backup and I have adequate power generation capability for extended outages.
Very cool stuff you fellows are doing! Finding productive ways to make a difference! In a much smaller way I found a way to contribute to my community too in the last few months. Certainly not on the scale of you guys contributions. I contacted my local Habitat for Humanity and offered my services as a Safety Consultant at both the local Restore, and any home construction site the have under development. Essentially I have the same or better education, and decades of experience in site safety, employee safety, hazard identification and anything else related OSHA type safety issues that OSHA compliance officers have as you probably already know.
My offer was very simple. Let me walk the site, be it the store, or a construction site escorted by a H for Humanity manager or supervisor carrying a pad and pencil. I would identify every hazard or condition non-compliant with OSHA standards and identify ways to abate each hazard. They take notes, and i leave upon completion of the inspection.
They owe no answer regarding what they fix or when. They loved the offer and took me up on it. I have toured the local Restore about a month ago and identified 40-50 issues of non compliance, most costing little or nothing to abate the hazards. I am told they will call when their next home is under construction.They are also free to call with anything relative to OSHA safety, employee safety, or any compliance issues whenever they like.
Essentially I am a volunteer safety consultant for H for H in my local community. Costs me nothing but a bit of my free time and I am pleased to help this very worthwhile organization. Like I said, not the critical services you guys provide but volunteerism in a smaller way.
That's fantastic news Herb! Being useful and making a positive impact is one of the privileges of having lived a productive life. Old guys know stuff!
Good luck!