Radio operators assist city during emergency

When news of the 6.8 earthquake that struck Seattle on Feb. 27 rippled

down to Fountain Valley, Joyce Greene, the administrative assistant in

the city treasurer’s office, was worried about her sister and

brother-in-law.

She was unable to get through to the couple who live in the Pacific

Northwest.

Then she got the e-mail from the city’s emergency services department

offering to help locate family members.

Emergency services contacted a ham radio group called Radio Amateur

Civil Emergency Services, which was able to get in touch with her sister

and her husband and confirm that they were OK.

The ham operators have communication throughout the world and are a

part of the city’s emergency communications plan.