Emergency response and emergency preparedness go hand-in-hand when it comes to public events, and facing a busy calendar of sports matches, celebrations and public events throughout the region, Red Cross Southeastern Pennsylvania disaster operators reached out to even more local hams than ever. Members of the Philadelphia Amateur Radio Emergency Service were, of course, there as always, serving as partners in communication, but the Red Cross extended its call for assistance to other ARES groups. According to a recent blog on the American Red Cross website, the call for help cast an even wider net and hams from the nearby counties of Delaware, Chester, Montgomery and Bucks answered that call. The Red Cross and the ARES teams gained additional support from the many amateurs who belong to the Red Cross Disaster Services Technology team, led by Cliff Hotchkiss KC3PGT.
This was especially critical on the 22nd of June when the FIFA World Cup came to the Philadelphia Stadium - and it was true for the five matches that followed in that host city. Cliff said that there were concerns that the size of the crowd at the stadium could overload and interrupt cellular communication.
As the Red Cross noted in its blog: [quote]: "Their mission was simple but important: ensure reliable communications remained available if emergency responders and Red Cross teams needed them." [endquote]
