CALFire

Over the last couple of weeks, there’s been a lot of hubbub about what’s going on in California. Apparently, some administrator there has decided that they no longer will give amateur radio repeaters space in their communications centers.

Here’s the YouTube video that may have started this controversy:

OK, so this one is a little bombastic. Here’s a little calmer discussion of the issue:

The ARRL has also weighed in on the issue. The article, Report Causes Concern and Confusion in California’s Amateur Radio Ranks, published yesterday, notes, “By all credible and reliable accounts, the State of California has not turned its back on Amateur Radio as an emergency communication resource nor have established repeater owners been asked to remove their equipment from state-owned sites unless they pay sizeable fees.”

An interesting take on this issue was published by an outfit called PJ Media. This report is also a bit on the inflammatory (pun intended) side, but it is interesting because it posits that the reason CalFire wants to get rid of amateur radio repeaters is because they’ve gone whole hog on FirstNet, and even though they’ve spent millions of dollars on FirstNet, its capabilities are not that much greater than the communications capabilities provided by amateur radio operators.

I think what this all boils down to is that amateurs need to get more “professional” when it comes to providing these services to state agencies such as CalFire. Emcomm groups need to keep in contact with those state agencies and make sure that the agencies know what equipment is being housed in served agencies’ facilities and that the groups are providing the services that the agencies need.

This is NOT an easy task. Personnel changes at both the amateur radio and served agency organizations can allow these situations to get out of control. Needless to say, bad things can happen when this occurs.

I believe that there will be a happy ending to this story, as long as the groups operating the repeaters keep in touch with their served agencies. The ARRL article quotes Pacific Division Director Jim Tiemstra, K6JAT, as saying:

“The State of California has not made any determination we can find ‘that Ham Radio [is] no longer a benefit…Our contact in the California Office of Emergency Services suggests that, if any affected repeater is in any way involved with local emergency or government support activity, they should ask that agency to engage with CAL FIRE concerning the repeater. If the agency makes the case, there is a good chance that the repeater will be unaffected.”