How Hams Can Help with Highway Emergencies

Daily, around our country, hams encounter highway emergencies on their
travels.  It could be as simple as a motorist stranded on a center
divider or as deadly as a multi-car traffic accident.  These are all
emergencies and are worthy of dialing 911.  By the way, at least in
Southern California, there are no emergency call boxes on freeway center
dividers like there are on the right shoulders.  And all too often these
motorists attempt to run across traffic lanes to seek help.  The highway
patrol considers these calls a priority, just as a traffic accident is.

You don't have to ask for a control operator on a repeater to find help.
Any interested ham, on any frequency, that is near any telephone (even
pay phones, autopatches and cell phones are fine) can help.  I know
hams, including myself, that take emergency calls from other mobile
hams, and forward it via an autopatch, while driving.  Being a good
communicator is the important thing here, not how it gets through.  If
you are on a surface street and near a pay phone, often that is quicker
than even using Ham Radio.  Just dial 911, a free call.  Here are the
basic steps, from both perspectives, in handling a typical call:

HAM #1: sees a highway emergency
HAM #1: Takes note of details: location, injuries, description, etc.
HAM #1: grabs radio, calls for help, looking for someone near a phone:
        then transmits: "I have an accident to report, could someone
        near a telephone assist me? <your call sign>
HAM #2: near a phone responds:  "Yes, could ahead with
        your emergency traffic (getting pencil and paper ready, and
        having the phone near the radio is a real plus)
HAM #1: slowly describes: location, vehicles, injuries, etc.
HAM #2: reads back all of the info to HAM #1, checking for errors
HAM #1: confirms accuracy or provides needed corrections
HAM #2: asks HAM #1 to stay on frequency, in case more info is needed
HAM #2: Dials 911, asks for needed agency (police, highway patrol, etc.)
HAM #2: reaches needed agency, explains that this is via Ham Radio and
        then reads the info to the dispatcher.
HAM #2: Calls back HAM #1 on radio and confirms delivery of message
HAM #1: thanks HAM #2 for being available to assist

That's all there is, it's not rocket science.  But it can save lives.
And if you are the mobile ham, don't be afraid to call for help several
times.  And just use plain English when asking for help, you don't need
to use any special codes or ham-speak.  The responding ham near the
phone may even need your coaching, not a problem, walk them through it.

Hams don't have to be members of any special emergency groups to assist
on either end of this type of emergency.  Our FCC license and Part 97 of
the rules expects us to assist the public with emergencies - we don't
have to be knighted by the Queen first.  The repeater that I am active
on, in the Los Angeles area, handled about 5000 calls last year.  While
the W6FNO repeater, 146.820-, specializes in this type of communications
- IT CAN BE DONE ON ANY REPEATER - AND SHOULD BE.  That is why we all
should leave nice pauses between our transmissions - so that emergencies
can get through.  Hurracanes and floods don't happen everyday, but
highway emergencies do.  And handling this kind of radio traffic is
great training for larger disasters.  Many of you will find that it will
increase your confidence on the radio, it did for me.  If this has
provoked any questions or if I have left out something in the small
space of this bulletin, drop me a line via packet.