Summit Activator's 12th Contact of the Day Wasn't on the Radio — It Was a Rescue

Every POTA or SOTA activator knows a session can throw up surprises. Few, though, turn into a genuine emergency response.

Michael Miller, KH6ML, had just logged his 11th QSO during a POTA/SOTA activation on 16th September at Hawaii's Diamond Head when his 12th contact of the day happened right there on the summit — not over the air, but in person. A visitor approached him for help: a woman had collapsed inside the summit's observation bunker after hiking the trail.

From Activator to First Responder

Michael called 911 immediately, then headed down toward the bunker, where cell service was uncertain. On the way, he used his HT to alert hams listening on local repeaters, asking them to stand by in case they were needed.

The woman in distress turned out to be a tourist in her seventies from Japan, visiting Hawaii with her husband and their adult daughter. As Honolulu Fire Department personnel made their way to the scene, Michael relayed information from the family directly to emergency dispatchers. Given the steep terrain, the fire department opted to send a helicopter rather than attempt to carry the woman down on foot. Once she was safely transported for medical care, Michael accompanied her daughter back down the trail to reunite with the rest of the family. He later learned the woman was recovering well.

Training That Paid Off

There's no emergency-preparedness drill that quite covers "medical emergency atop a summit," but Michael said he felt ready regardless. The many off-grid, off-road locations that POTA and SOTA activations regularly take him to had already given him the instincts and options needed to make the right connections quickly. That readiness also drew on his training with the Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES) for the City and County of Honolulu, where he serves as deputy coordinator, and his membership in the Emergency Amateur Radio Club in Honolulu.

Recounting the day in a YouTube video, Michael summed it up simply: it wasn't the day he'd planned, but he said "my best contact all day was helping somebody in need."

A good reminder that the skills built chasing summits and parks often turn out to matter for a lot more than just the log book.