i'm a CERT member. I use it to help local police. I use it to help manage safety at running races (marathons, 5ks etc.) I would also use it to help if called ou

i'm a CERT member. I use it to help local police. I use it to help manage safety at running races (marathons, 5ks etc.) I would also use it to help if called out on a search an rescue. These frequently involve multiple police departments and they can rarely talk with each other on their radios, so Hams fill in between departments. At marathons and such the Hams are the ones with the antennas and the frequencies to get around the physical terrain and help bridge police departments. I can also use it for communication when the cell networks go after a few hours without power (new england ice storms). When 911 happened we had massive communication network failures and the Hams were the ones that were desperately needed by emergency crews to get messages in and out.