In Sonoma County, California, floods, wildfires and earthquakes are among the best reasons for becoming a radio operator. With that in mind the county's Department of Emergency Management has entered the second year of a three-year program that includes helping more Sonoma Springs area residents to get licensed and get on the air. The initiative has been funded through a $70,000 federal grant.

Emergency management officials are now preparing for training sessions in October that will prepare area residents for an exam leading toward a license to use handheld radios, especially at times when cellular telephone networks fail. The radios are part of General Mobile Radio Services, or GMRS, a licensed service operating between 462 MHz and 467 MHz. The county is coordinating with amateur radio operators in the North Bay Communications Cooperative and its Auxiliary Communications System. The goal is to coordinate frequencies so that the GMRS users can work seamlessly within the broader emergency communications system.

The focus is on residents in the community of Sonoma Springs, which is classified as an evacuation zone when there are wildlfires, but participants who live outside the area are also welcome to enroll.

The county's program can supply as many as 175 of the radios to participants who successfully complete the program. The grant also covers fees for the license exam.

Emergency management specialist Nancy Brown told the Sonoma News that radio is seen as the ultimate and most resilient backup plan. She said: [quote] “No matter what happens, you have something that will work.” [endquote]