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Ham radio operators stay prepared for disaster

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David Coursey, an amateur ham radio volunteer, participates in a drill Thursday at San Joaquin General Hospital in French Camp. Ham operators back up county emergency services.Michael McCollum/The Record

By The Record

August 20, 2010 12:00 AM

FRENCH CAMP - When disaster strikes, amateur radio operators will be ready.

The local network of ham radio enthusiasts drilled at locations throughout the county Thursday, including San Joaquin General Hospital in French Camp.

“They could help us in the event communication goes down,” said Dan Burch, San Joaquin County Emergency Medical Services administrator. That adds an extra line of communication among hospitals, blood banks, county emergency response and state officials, Burch said.

The radio operators have answered the county’s call in the past.

They’ve hit the airwaves during heavy flooding, and in 2009, they helped search-and-rescue teams communicate while looking for 8-year-old Sandra Cantu before her body was found.

Thursday marked the resumption of the drills after about a year, said David Coursey, emergency coordinator with the county Amateur Radio Emergency Service. Organizers had to wait for a rule change from the Federal Communications Commission to allow the drills to continue.