York County EMA Communications Team members Neil Tolman and Jim White, among others, are looking to expand the range of General Mobile Radio Service, commonly called GMRS, to communicate during emergencies if regular digital service fails. GMRS could be a boon to both first responders dealing with a disaster and to residents, looking to communicate with family and neighbors, proponents say. Contributed / York County Government
If electronic communication isn’t possible, then the ability to talk to family members who may be in a different town, conduct business transactions, or keep the public safe in an emergency, vanishes.
Society is accustomed to instant electronic communication – except when technology fails.
And it can happen.
Those who live near the salt water keenly remember the devastating coastal storms in January. They, and those living inland, recall the early April storm that brought multiple inches of heavy wet snow and gusty winds, causing tree limbs to crash onto power lines and a twisted web of damage throughout York County. Many roads were impassible and for some residents, there was no electric power for several days.
Complicating matters, a part of the communication system first responders use went down for about 24 hours, members said, which meant cell phone service and mobile data terminals weren’t working in those areas.
Such situations can be potentially dangerous – for first responders out in the storm attempting to find and monitor impassible roadways, emergency medical personnel caring for ill people and trying to get them to a hospital, for power crews tasked with repairing the damage and for families cold in their dark homes.
For emergency managers, having a back up to the backup is a must. Sometimes, a third or fourth back up is necessary in this digital age – and the volunteer communications group attached to York County Emergency Management Agency has found one: an inexpensive radio system that can let you talk with your neighbor, and first responders can talk to each other.
The radios are GMRS – short for General Mobile Radio Service. They are inexpensive, starting around $30, and a 10-year FCC license, which is good for the entire family and doesn’t require a test, is inexpensive as well, about $35, said EMA Communications Team volunteer Jim White. He, along with some others, is heavily involved in the drive to adapt the GMRS system for first responder and community use.
“(GMRS) a way to get the word out about emergencies but it’s also a community thing,” said White. “We want people to know GMRS is available … it could be helpful to anyone who needs to communicate.”
GMRS radios typically have a range of up to four or five miles – but with a system of nodes (think base stations) and a couple of repeaters, the range multiplies.
White and Dave Garriepy, a longtime Kennebunk first responder also engaged at the county level, along with YCEMA Communications Team Chief Neil Tolman, Kennebunk Fire-Rescue Chief Justin Cooper, and others are looking to expand the network, to provide another tool for safety during emergencies and for everyday use.
Cooper pointed out that emergency responders had more ability to communicate in the 1970s and 80s, using analog equipment, than they do today. With GMRS, when cell service goes out, communication remains.
Proponents note that GMRS can be used in a variety of applications besides emergency situations – during parades, so organizers can talk with each other; during road construction, those pulling traffic duty for road races, as a method to communicate while snowmobiling, hiking and for wellness checks on a community’s most vulnerable citizens.
Tolman pointed out he uses the GMRS system to communicate with his wife on their property, which is located in an area where cell service is poor.
GMRS can be a way for friends to communicate, just for fun, proponents say, and of course during emergencies.
Currently White and Garriepy are evaluating locations for nodes, and also for two repeaters, and Garriepy and Cooper have been talking with service clubs in Kennebunk outlining their hopes for the system and the ability to purchase the repeater equipment needed to fully operate it.
Each repeater, related gear and installation costs about $7,000, they estimated, and team members believe two would cover the county.
In the presentation to the Rotary Club of Kennebunk, Garriepy noted the radio system is inexpensive for fixed-income families, is user friendly, provides users with peace of mind, and can provide first responders with information during an emergency.
Tolman said after the April storm, he talked to a man living on one of York County’s many lakes. “There were three families there, they kept in touch (with GMRS) during the storm and discussed what roads were open and closed.”
“When all the systems go down you can talk with this,” White noted. He pointed out, during storms, radio owners can turn on the weather alerts, can engage in conversation, or not. “If you’re shy about talking, just listen in.”
“This is something the entire population of the county could use,” said Cooper.
The volunteers estimate that there are about 250 GMRS licensed families in York County already – and they’re looking to boost that number.
“(It’s a tool) to help make sure our communities are safe,” said Garriepy. If people acquire GMRS and use the radios regularly, when an emergency arises, they’re better prepared, he said.
“It could save a life,” said YCEMA Communications Unit Leader Dave Francoeur.
Tammy Wells is a media specialist with York County Government.
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