Media Release 10

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Value of Amateur Radio shown in Australia

Hams mobilized to assist during the tragic bush fires in Victoria and the ACT

It is tragic that the tremendous value of amateur radio is only recognized when there is a disaster. The Australian Amateur Radio Service, through its Wireless Institute Civil Emergency Service (WICEN), sprang into action during the disastrous bush fires in the State of Victoria (VIC) and the Australian Capital Territory (ACT).

Their contribution was acknowledged by the influential American Radio Relay League (ARRL) in the United States. In its magazine QST, it reported:

QUOTE

Australian Amateurs Volunteering to Run Fire Fighters' Radios

With extreme wildfire conditions expected over the long Australia Day holiday weekend January 25-27, Amateur Radio volunteers have been operating fire fighting service radio communication equipment. The Wireless Institute of Australia Victoria reports that hams have been pitching in over the past week. Fires have been raging in the rugged alpine country of northeastern Victoria for 18 days, and smoke has blanketed area hundreds of kilometers away, including metropolitan Melbourne. 

"There is an ongoing requirement for the hams to use their skills and handle essential and logistic radio traffic," the WIA Victoria said. "Hundreds of firefighters are battling the outbreaks in the heat and dense smoke, which for most of the past four days greatly reduced visibility limiting the use of aerial water bombers." 

The WIA's emergency service arm, the Wireless Institute Civic Emergency Network (WICEN) has more than a dozen radio amateurs on duty at three center--Mt Beauty, Corryong and Ovens--operating radios and handling emergency traffic. WIA-Victoria President Jim Linton, VK3PC, said the forest lands fire fighting agency, the Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE), called on WICEN-Victoria to provide operators to run its radio communication gear and free up personnel for other duties.

UNQUOTE

It seems surprising that in Australia's capital city,  Canberra, where bush fires earlier this month claimed at least four lives, caused many more injuries and destroyed some 400 homes that WICEN was not mobilized.

AussieWinlink has long argued that the Australian Government should recognize and support amateur radio as a valuable national resource during national disasters and major public events. We have argued that Australian radio amateurs should be exempted from the payment of taxes and other charges for the use of the public radio spectrum. It would follow the lead given by the US Congress that, already years ago, abolished such fees in recognition of the contribution made by the US Amateur Radio Service.

From AussieWinlink's perspective, the contribution that can be made by amateur radio operators should go beyond voice communications but include also digital text and graphics radio traffic. For some emergency activities it is more efficient to have instructions and reports in text format. With Winlink's facility for mail forwarding via the Internet, it would be an addition to the arsenal of the services that can be provided by WICEN. As shown by the tragedy, the sooner the Australian Government allows Winlink operation - the better.

You may find these websites showing geographic information about the fires to be of interest :

 

Copyright © 2002-2008 AussieWinlink. Material may be quoted with acknowledgement of its source. Last modified: September 28, 2008