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| Courtesy Minuteman Repeater Assn. |
When two bombs
exploded near the finish line of April's Boston Marathon, the first thing ham
radio net controllers did was check in on each of the 250 ham volunteers
working the course to make sure they were OK (they were). Next, according to
reports from ARRL and Newsline, the hams continued providing communications as
police halted the race and runners began to congregate at first-aid and water
stations along the route, all of which had ham stations as well. The hams kept
runners updated on events and coordinated deployment of "sweep buses"
to transport runners still on the course to pre-arranged meeting areas. Hams in
the finish line area remained at their posts and provided communications as
needed from the medical tents until police - fearing additional explosions -
ordered everyone evacuated.
