Emergency Communications

Many times, it’s a large fire that provides the impetus for communities to engage in wildfire mitigation. Along the Hwy. 26 corridor between Sandy and Government Camp, the need for action was prompted by several nearby wildfires (Lionshead, Beachie and Riverside), as well as an 8-day PSPS or Public Safety Power Shutdown by Portland General Electric in 2022 – the second shutdown in two years.

The length of the shutdown and the resident’s inability to get any status updates prompted the community members to search for ways to make the communications systems more resilient during an emergency by increasing the backup power supply to radio towers, and to make the community more resilient by finding other ways to communicate if power and cellular communications is lost for whatever reason.

House Bill 3743

Currently, most cell towers in Oregon only have 3 days of backup power should the electricity go off shut off for whatever reason. Residents discovered this during the 2020 Labor Day Fires when after three days of PSPS they lost cell communication leaving them unable to receive status updates or evacuation notifications.

In 2023 the Emergency Communications Work Group began to engage Legislators to see if requirements could be put in place to increase the length of backup power for cell towers. This led to House Bill 3743, sponsored by Representative Helfrich, which requires radio tower operators to maintain an emergency backup power system that can provide emergency backup power for the tower for at least 14 days in the event of a natural disaster or inclement weather.

You can find out more about HB3743 here.

GMRS Radios

The Emergency Communications work group is also working on various options to build in redundancy into emergency communications by using hand held radios. One of those options is GMRS Radios. A GMRS (General Mobile Radio Service) radio is a licensed, two-way radio service in the United States that uses UHF frequencies (around 462 and 467 MHz) for short-range, two-way voice communication, requiring an FCC license for operation.

The GMRS radio are line of site, meaning the signal may be blocked by obstructions such as ridges. To extend the range of the radio network the work group is installing radio repeaters on communications towers in the area. Check out this deck for an overview of GMRS Radios.

To use your GMRS radio you will need to get a license from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Here are instructions for obtaining your FCC license.

The Hoodland CPO is providing training to a hand full of radios operators who will then be able to train their neighbors and extend the network. If you would like more information about GMRS training reach out to the Hoodland CPO.

HAM Radios

HAM Radios (Amateur Radio) are another communications option available to the community. Amateur Radio is a popular hobby and service that use ham radio to talk across town, around the world, or even into space, all without the Internet or cell phones.

There is a group of ham radio operators in the Mt. Hood Corridor that hold regular weekly nets on Sundays.  In times of severe weather events, they keep their radios on and monitor activity. Hoodland Fire offers periodic training on HAM Radio operations.

Emergency Communications System

Here is a diagram of how the community can fully integrate into the communication system during an emergency.