emergency response

Most people are probably at least a bit familiar with the hobby of amateur — or HAM — radio. It’s a means of communication that allows individuals to talk over sometimes very long distances for noncommercial reasons using what’s called a transceiver and an antenna, on certain frequency bands that have been allocated for HAM radio use. And while it’s referred to as a hobby, amateur radio can also play a key role during emergencies. We get some insight into this kind of behind-the-scenes and old-school means of communication with three people who are amateur radio operators themselves, and members of the Fort Myers Amateur Radio Club, which has been around since 1957.

Four FEMA Disaster Assistance Teams are canvassing areas of Charlotte County impacted by Hurricane Idalia to assist residents with information and registering for individual assistance.

FEMA, in coordination with the Federal Communications Commission, will conduct a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) and Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) on Wednesday.The national test will consist of two portions, testing WEA and EAS capabilities. Both tests are scheduled to begin at approximately 2:20 p.m.

The city has setup temporary telephone numbers that can be used to contact each department.

The Collier Board of County Commissioners unanimously approved adding 12 Full Time Equivalent (FTE) positions to the county’s Emergency Medical Services (EMS) division.The hiring of 12 people is supposed to ensure the county’s EMS operations has sufficient staffing to support ambulance services, reduce overtime for paramedics and Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) and to provide plans for EMS expansion throughout the next two years.

Effective immediately, residents and visitors can expect a more responsive 911 service due to an upgrade of Next Generation 911 technology. Now, first responders will be able to quickly locate the emergency with advanced location services. Call takers will have a map to show exactly where the call comes from and then will share that information with first responders.

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