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Volunteers in Marysville teach value of ham radio during emergencies

While cell towers and 9-1-1 infrastructure may be wiped out during a disaster, Kyle and Matt are teaching others the reliability of radio.

MARYSVILLE, Wash. — Imagine that after a disaster your cell phone and computer can't connect to their internet, your landline has no dial tone, and 9-1-1 is unreachable. 

It's a scary thought, but that's exactly why Diana Rose, the emergency and risk management officer in Marysville, has begun training citizen volunteers in how to help and communicate during emergencies. 

"The number one thing you always hear about going wrong in a disaster immediately is communication," said Rose. 

Since creating its own emergency management department last year, the City of Marysville has multiple programs available to residents to teach them how to help in a disaster. One of those programs is an amateur radio, or ham radio, volunteer training program. 

Residents who already have ham radio licenses meet for a weekend and get trained in what frequencies to use and how to help during a disaster. Marysville is planning to host monthly meetings, quarterly drills and do weekly call-ins to keep skills sharp beginning this year. 

Rose said this effort should ensure that Marysville citizens will be well prepared and well practiced when disaster hits. 

"In the middle of a disaster is not the time that you want to be keying up your radio for the very first time and figuring out what frequency to use and how to actually use it, you want it to be that muscle memory," said Rose. 

Kyle Burgess and Matt Benjamin are two volunteers that help teach volunteers in the radio program. They are well qualified, having bought and converted a retired ambulance into a mobile ham radio vehicle. 

They admit the ham radio is antiquated technology in this age of smartphones, but it's reliable and being able to use it properly in a time of need could save lives. 

"It's still going to be around and still going to be usable in time of a disaster," said Benjamin. 

If you live in Marysville and would like to learn more about their ham radio and other citizen volunteer programs, visit their emergency management page here. 

You can also contact Diana Rose with any questions about volunteering. Her contact information is here. 

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