WURTSBORO – Every year, whole communities find themselves in the dark, and despite the internet, cell phones, email, and other modern tools, are unable to communicate. Floods, Blizzards, and other severe storms can leave people with an inability to contact their loved ones. In these cases, one consistent service that has never failed the public is Amateur Radio.

Volunteer ham radio operators provide backup communications support to the Sullivan County Office of Emergency Management, the American Red Cross, FEMA, and other agencies who might need the ability to communicate during a natural disaster. On June 27^th & 28^th, the public will have a chance to meet and talk with Sullivan County’s emergency communicators and see for themselves what the Amateur Radio Service is all about.

This annual event, called “Field Day” is the climax of the weeklong “Amateur Radio Week” sponsored by the ARRL, the national association for Amateur Radio. Using only emergency power supplies, ham operators will construct emergency portable stations in parks, malls, backyards all across the country. Their slogan, “When All Else Fails, Ham Radio Works” is more than just words as they prove they can send messages in many forms without the use of phone systems, internet, or any other infrastructure that can be compromised in a crisis. It is expected that more than 20,000 operators will participate in the exercise nationwide.

“The fastest way to turn a crisis into a total disaster, is to lose communications, said Allen Pitts of the ARRL. “From tsunamis in Japan, to earthquakes in Nepal, and tornadoes in the US, ham radio has provided the most reliable networks in the first critical hours of major events. Because ham radios are not dependent upon the internet, cell towers or other infrastructure, they work when nothing else is available.

The public is cordially invited to stop by the Richard Martinkovic Emergency Services Training Center at 801-861 Old White Lake Turnpike, Swan Lake, NY 12783 on Saturday afternoon, June 27^th, from 2 to 6pm. There they can meet and talk with Amateur Radio operators and see what they can accomplish. There will additionally be a special station for the general public, which permits people who are interested in Amateur Radio to actually Get On The Air!

For more information, please contact John Lavelle at sullivancountyares@gmail.com To learn more about Amateur Radio, go www.arrl.org or www.sullivan-ares.org.