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A group of amateur radio operators in Caribou have banded together to start Aroostook County’s first municipal-based emergency service, hoping to modernize the region’s use of technology during disasters.
In a rural county where internet, cellphone and other types of communication can be spotty in good weather, storms can easily knock out those modes of communication. The newly formed group of volunteer amateur radio operators calling itself Caribou Emergency Amateur Radio Service will bring to Aroostook the only digital smart technology for amateur radios, known as D-STAR, north of Portland.
While General Mobile Radio Service radios are more common for hobbyists, D-STAR allows licensed operators and emergency personnel to send texts, emails and photos through radio. Operators connect D-STAR radio cables to special computers that remain functional during widespread power outages.
Caribou Emergency Amateur Radio Service president and cofounder T.H. Merritt recalled using D-STAR technology while serving as an emergency radio operator during hurricanes in Florida.
“If someone called from out of state looking for their mother, we could communicate with shelter operators and tell them ‘Your mother checked into Shelter 18 at 5:30,’” Merritt said. “If a bridge collapsed or a road caved in, we could take photos and send them to public works and emergency personnel.”
Although the service is based in Caribou, Merritt said that D-STAR signals have an expansive reach that enables communication with other municipalities and county and state emergency agencies.
A longtime amateur operator himself, Merritt wants The County to be fully prepared for radio communications if an especially intense weather system, such as an ice storm, flood or thunderstorm, knocks out power, damages roadways or traps people in their homes.
After Merritt, who formerly served at Loring Air Force Base, retired and returned to Aroostook, he was surprised to learn that the region had no emergency radio group trained in operating D-STAR technology.
Though local operators from Aroostook Amateur Radio Association, based in Presque Isle, and Amateur Radio Emergency Service regularly communicate with emergency management agencies, hospitals and the National Weather Service, they do not have formal ties with specific municipalities in The County. Caribou Emergency Amateur Radio Service will be the first amateur radio group to serve the community primarily through emergency services.
“This is the largest county east of the Mississippi, but there isn’t broad [emergency] radio coverage with modern technology,” Merritt said. “That was shocking to me.”
Not long after settling in Caribou, Merritt connected with local licensed amateur radio operators, many of whom have pursued radio as a hobby for decades. The group met with the city’s police, fire and EMS departments, all of whom helped it obtain recognition from the Federal Communications Commission last month.
Since then, Caribou Emergency Amateur Radio Service is starting a Facebook page, recruiting members and working to bring D-STAR technology to Caribou by this spring. The group holds monthly meetings and plans to host radio demonstrations at summer events and classes for people looking to obtain their amateur radio operator license.
The group has 17 members, most of whom are longtime ham radio enthusiasts, but Merritt has already seen immense interest from others in Caribou and surrounding communities, including Washburn and Limestone.
“We’re growing every day. I have at least a dozen emails from people asking for an application [to join],” Merritt said.
Like other emergency personnel in Caribou, the volunteers will wear uniforms and work alongside police, fire, EMS and public works staff during emergencies. They also hope to educate the public on the everyday benefits of communicating with family and neighbors, both in and outside of The County and Maine, through radio.
“If something happens, you can check on family members to make sure they’re safe,” Merritt said. “There’s nothing worse than someone calling for help and realizing that nobody is there.”
The next Caribou Emergency Amateur Radio Service meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday, at the Caribou Emergency Operations Center at 111 High St. Anyone wishing to join can contact Merritt at 207-999-9397 or caribouears@protonmail.com.
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