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Region 1

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Saving lives through Emergency Communications
 
 
 
The role and the value of the Amateur Radio Service in the Emergency Communications is today widely understood and honoured. Despite of that we must be very realistic: from the common point of view our activities are still mainly random & not regular.  Only in few countries the Amateur Radio Service on the field of the Emergency Communications is well planned and organized.  (For a list of IARU Region 1 Emergency Communications Coordinators, click here)
 
The active participation into Emergency Communications is one of the key factors of the future of our hobby. We have knowledge and skills to build up connections in the difficult circumstances, we have good equipments, we have own bands through the radio spectrum and we have the will to help our neighbours.
 
This all sounds very good and promising but all above is just a collection of phrases if we are not prepared. We must create our own vision concerning the Emergency Communications: What can we do, how do we do it, how does our activity meet the needs of authorities etc. There are a large number of topics which we must be able to find well balanced solution.
 
Learning from each other might be the best approach for going forward. GAREC-2005 in Tampere Finland was the first step to that direction. GAREC-2006 continued the process but in much larger context & as a parallel meeting of the ICEC-2006. It was a unique opportunity for us to show worldwide to the experts what we can do and what we are planning to do. During ICEC-2006  the representatives of governments and NGO's discussed about the implementation of the Tampere Convention. Personally I have been involved this process since 1991 when the base of the Convention "Tampere Declaration" was born. As you see international processes are slow.
 
As  the Emergency Communications Coordinator of the IARU Region 1 I see my role in this duty as  a role of an organizer & not as a role of an expert. So far, due to other commitments, I have only been able to work with GAREC-2006 since my nomination. From my point of view cooperation is the key to successful work. Without your activity there will not be any progress.
 
The next activity will be a "Get-together party on the Air" on November 18th when HQ stations of the Region 1 member societies will meet around HF center activity frequencies.
 
Best regards,
 

 

Seppo Sisättö OH1VR 

IARU Region 1 Emergency Communications Coordinator