Had a conversation with Dave Jensen, W7DGJ the other day, in response to his recent article, Trials and Errors Issue #29: More Hero Hams -- the 1937 Ohio River Valley Flood
I will suggest reading the article at the link before we go on.
Now, I know, there's been a lot of chatter about this over the last few years. I admit I take a different approach to the topic than many hams do. I tell Dave, in my response at QRZ:
A couple of things strike me about the editorial.
First the subject of regimentation of amateurs came up, regimentation of amateurs by government, the regimentation of response to emergency situations.
The editorial rightly states that emergencies are totally unpredictable. And, that's true.... Very obviously so. Indeed, in my opinion that's what makes them emergencies. Thereby, making a regimented response worse than useless in many if not most cases.
At the risk of sounding political, emergency planning by government is essentially impossible, thereby. Mind you, I'm not talking about one government or another, I'm talking about any government. Any government entity, any government individual attempting to plan such things except in the broadest of terms is destined for failure. And yet, they keep trying to do precisely that, in an apparent desire to maintain the power of control in their hands not in those of the volunteers. You know, the ones that are actually doing the work.
I suggest that the writings about this incident prove one thing that many people will wish they don't: training & regimentation is neither possible nor desirable in emergency situations and the people that are the most effective in those situations generally are simply doing what they can do, not necessarily what pre-planning by authorities, and regimentation has brought them to.
I suggest that a look at the volunteer fire companies around the country of 50 years ago versus what we have now, while perhaps not directly comparable, is instructive.
50 years ago most areas of the country had fire companies that were staffed by people who are completely volunteer. These days, as time has gone on fire companies have become professional organizations represented by unions in many cases.
The volunteer .... And with it, alas, the spirit of volunteerism, has essentially been erased under the weight of the attitude of "let the professionals do it".
As a result of this progression, many fire companies are left wanting for staff.
One could certainly argue that we are better protected by such a shift, at least in the more heavily populated areas because of the training and regimentation. (Well, at least government believes so...) But there are so many holes in those lines as to make that argument at least a bit more difficult.
Is this where amateur radio is headed as regards emergency response? And this brings us to our second point:
The league has been using emergency response ability as a lever, (one of several) as a means of justifying our operating privileges or frequencies and so on.
The negative effect on amateur radio of downplaying our emergency role is obvious and quite probably devastating, both from the standpoint of "let the professionals do it, it's not my job". (see also, "ham radio is not an emergency service", and the usual jibes about the "yellow jacket crowd".)
And thus needful things not getting done in a timely fashion in an emergency situation...
And also, from the standpoint of being able to maintain those operating privileges. Governments want some return for their investments. That's simply how things are these days. They need to know when time to regulate spectrum comes along, when questions of local zoning boards regulating antenna structures, of our ability and willingness to throw a shoulder where needed. Down playing that role, as I have seen happen so often here on the Zed, runs directly counter to that purpose.
Dave responds, in part:
I love this line from that ARRL editorial, "The very greatness of our performance early this year now attracts many agencies who would like to commandeer, direct us, and so on. Let them understand that this service comes from us, of our own volition as free agents. We shall want to help them all as much as we can, but of our own accord and not by direction."Friends, the message sent in that paragraph is the very essence of Americanism.
The message is that it is the individuals, not the government, that makes us great. Too often, those in government have either neglected or actively worked against that spirit. Does anyone suppose that editorial could have been written by the League today, much less be lauded by it's members?
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