The City of Eugene has in place a volunteer grass-roots emergency communications system (Eugene EmComm) that is designed to provide help at the neighborhood level in case of a natural disaster such as an ice storm, wildfire, or earthquake. In many of these emergencies, cellphones and landline phones may not be functional. Radio may become the only means of communication.
Eugene EmComm is a group of ham radio volunteers who provide part of the emergency communications network, but you don’t need to be a ham to be part of the network. If you are willing to check on your neighbors and report to a radio operator, or if you have a “walkie-talkie” (also known as FRS) radio, you can be of service.
Here are some of the areas where volunteers are needed:
- Damage Assessment Teams (DATs) – neighbors who survey their neighborhoods to look for damage or injuries, and report their findings. No radio is required.
- FRS or GMRS radio operators (about radios) – radio operators who work in or with Damage Assessment Teams and relay information to other radio operators. FRS radios (walkie-talkies) do not require licenses. GMRS radios do require an FCC license, but there is no test, just a license fee.
- HAM radio operators – licensed radio operators who pass collected information on to the Emergency Operations Center for the city.
For a detailed overview of how we operate, we recommend that you read through the City of Eugene’s Neighborhood Radio Communications Response Guide. Information on procedures, equipment, and organizational structure can be found here.
For more information, or to volunteer, fill out and submit the form below.