Radio Ham Praised for Service to Emergency Planning
/Retired nurse Fred Herr WD8AGH has been named the Medical Reserve Corps Volunteer of the Year
Herr has been a volunteer with the Cabell-Wayne MRC for more than nine years assisting with flu clinics, ham radio operations, emergency drills, the emergency operations center and shelter planning. He is also a member of the Cabell-Wayne Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) to provide expertise in HAM radio operations and emergency communications.
“His expert knowledge in communications has made him our go-to volunteer for ham radios and interoperable radios. Fred and his wife Melanie always answer our call outs and drills even when they are in another country. We couldn’t do it without great volunteers like Fred.”
Fred Herr WD8AGH
"His expert knowledge in communications has made him our go-to volunteer for ham radios and interoperable radios," Hall-Dundas said. "Fred and his wife Melanie always answer our call outs and drills even when they are in another country. We couldn't do it without great volunteers like Fred."
Herr began working with Amateur / Ham radios as a hobby before he was married, but his interest was heightened when he realized the benefits they can have for public health in emergencies.
“That’s been one of its premises since the early beginnings. Even in our regulations in states, it can be used for emergency communications when other routes fail. It really started with (Hurricane) Katrina in 2005, they realized all these systems that the government builds and all the cell phone systems are subject to failure, whether natural or human made. Amateur radio has the ability to become a back-up for communications and the health department picked up on that.”
