The following article was written by Dick Young, President of the SIERA Club which offers a very positive way amateur radio was used for the safety and protection of those who participated in this ride. Please feel free to use it in your newsletters. Thank God for amateur radio being in the right place at the right time with the right equipment and training. THIS is what we do, and why we train for it. --Don Carlson, KQ6FM - Nevada SEC/PIC
It's a beautiful day in the Sierra Nevada and the assignment is to be the radio operator at a place called Half Ebbetts for the famed Death Ride bike extravaganza. Some 2500 bikers will pass by the position, getting water and sustenance. Some ask for relief by asking you to get a Van ride; a few just stop by to give the high sign and tell you they're proud to be a HAM too. Others just thank you for being there. NCS is consistently snapping at you for activity reports and other apparent necessities of the Ride Coordinator.
This was the scene for the Carl's, Roger (W6SXX) and Peggy (N7MXC), on this fateful day. Both had performed admirably at this location for past Death Rides. Both knew the routine very well so little could, or would, go awry. It stayed that way for several hours.
The Tahoe Amateur Radio Association (TARA) acts as the communications arm for the world renowned Tour of the California Alps (Death Ride) and was doing so again for this Silver Anniversary event. Our volunteer effort has greatly enhanced the safety and continuity of this annual presentation by the Alpine County Chamber of Commerce. The ride is supported by various Fire and Paramedic organizations, the California Highway Patrol and several volunteer groups contributing the many aid stations along the 125 mile route. The California Alps presents over 15,000 feet of up and down cycling. A grueling challenge recognized by cyclists around the world as one of the best.
TARA members, aided by many other volunteer HAMs in the area, create the glue that makes the whole scene come together. No other means of communication can centralize the communications needs. Only Amateur Radio!
On this 2005 run, some 60 other HAMs were working alongside Roger and Peggy. All performing in superb fashion and further honing their emergency communications skills. The back and forth is rapid fire, leaving little room for extended thinking or lengthy discussion of action, and no room for error. The need to quickly know what you are doing is a vital requirement.
Roger reports a rider down and injured. This is confirmed by other stations being advised by participants as they pass. The Ride Coordinator, through NCS, dispatches a Code Three ambulance to the scene. The report is a broken collar bone and, more important, a request for immediate CareFlight evacuation.
The Ride Coordinator, talking out loud to himself, wishes for the Lat-Long location. He knows it's not possible. NCS contacts Roger and Peggy. They immediately respond with the exact coordinates for the helicopter landing site along with the specific elevation and existing wind conditions.
Long story short, the helicopter is on site within minutes and Roger expertly guides the pilot to a safe landing, departing almost immediately with the patient...a happy ending.
Through earlier efforts from fire and paramedic volunteers, the helicopter was equipped to communicate on the HAM simplex frequency. And previous training provided Roger and Peggy with the knowledge they could efficiently and capably assist the pilot in descent and departure.
The communication between Half Ebbets and NCS was concise, exact and well practiced. A viable solution and knowledge of emergency situational conditions had been practiced and, now, put into action.
No stuttering. No questions. No hesitation. Excellent exercise put to superb use. Along with Peggy's insistence that she and Roger always have their exact location etched on paper. A ten year old $80 GPS took many minutes off the potential time for the helicopter to define the evacuation location.
Such a simple thing. Such a marvelous result.
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