Team Meeting July, 18 2020
We held our first Team meeting via Zoom on Saturday July 18th and had a good turnout. Nicki Harwood (Emergency Preparedness Coordinator, St. Joseph Medical Center in Orange) spoke to us about how important Ham operators are to the hospital when communications systems fail and what we will be doing when we respond to an […]
OCHEART Simplex Exercises
BACKGROUND In April 2020, several members of OCHEART planned a field exercise to test simplex communications between hospitals and simplex relay sites throughout the county. In the weeks prior to the exercise, OCHEART members Mark Warrick (KM6ZPO) and Julie Warrick (KN6AOC) visited 14 potential simplex sites. Afterward, Mark mapped out the simplex locations and hospitals, […]
Why I Volunteer
One of the reasons I got into Ham radio was for emergencies. I wanted a way to reach help when I needed it no matter where I was and especially in areas lacking cell phone coverage. As I have become more knowledgeable in Ham radio, I have become more involved in area emergency radio groups. […]
What is a Trauma Center?
When talking about medical facilities, at some point the conversation turns to “Trauma Centers” as the highest level of service when it comes to emergency medical care. So what exactly is a Trauma Center? The American Trauma Society has a great definition and explains the difference between a designation and a verification which is voluntary: […]
What if?
What would happen if your local hospital’s communications systems were overwhelmed by: Damage to its electrical connection Damage to its telephone system Overwhelming patients due to Major earthquake Chemical explosion Massive wildfires Flooding Normal communications were disrupted resulting in confusion This is why OCHEART exists. Our Team of volunteers works with hospital administration and the […]
OCRACES and OCHEART sign MOU
Monday March 2, 2020 was a historic day for OCHEART as we were able to sign a memo of understanding (MOU) with OCRACES to use their repeaters for our weekly nets as well as emergency operations when OCRACES is not activated. This is important for OCHEART as the county repeaters cover most of the county […]