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Ham operators will retrofit retired ambulance Monday Dec 1, 2008 at 12:20 AM The Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) of Jackson County isn't the latest organization to receive a retired ambulance from Mercy Flights — that distinction goes to the National Park Service at Crater Lake, which received a vehicle from this Medford-based provider of air and ground ambulance services just days ago. By Paul Hadella The Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) of Jackson County isn't the latest organization to receive a retired ambulance from Mercy Flights — that distinction goes to the National Park Service at Crater Lake, which received a vehicle from this Medford-based provider of air and ground ambulance services just days ago. Nor is the 20-member, all-volunteer chapter of ARES as large as some local fire departments that have benefited from Mercy Flights' generosity. But the new life this ambulance will take on as an emergency mobile communications center is certainly unique. "I believe it's the first time one of the ambulances has been converted to another use," said Don Montgomery, director of the Jackson County branch of ARES. ARES is made up of skilled amateur radio enthusiasts, often called "hams," who train to provide communications to fire and rescue crews should an earthquake or some other disaster occur. As it turns out, securing the old ambulance for this group was the easy part. "Ken Parsons (general manager of Mercy Flights) and I serve on some safety-related committees together. At one point, I mentioned that ARES would definitely be receptive to one of his retired ambulances," Montgomery explained. Shortly after Montgomery put this bug in Parsons' ear, a 1997 Ford F-350 ambulance with nearly 200,000 miles on it became available. Montgomery gratefully accepted the keys to the vehicle this past summer, then set out to find the money to buy digital communications equipment. Credit his persuasive writing skills for scoring a $14,000 grant from the Region 5 Health Preparedness Project. Montgomery described the combination of the grant and the donated ambulance as "the most significant thing that has ever happened to our group." "We're ecstatic," he added. "We already have emergency communications stations in county hospitals, fire stations and government offices. Now we will be flexible enough to move into an area completely equipped with communications capability." The mobile unit will feature three operator positions with radios tuned to VHF, UHF and HF frequencies. A portable repeater will allow the radios to achieve a vast range. GPS equipment will complete the set-up. The vehicle, currently parked in a Mercy Flights hangar at the Medford airport, has been re-lettered with the ARES name and logo. The conversion is well underway inside, too. ARES members helped remove the ambulance's life-support equipment and have solved some electrical problems. They are now busy drawing wire diagrams to show how the equipment should be configured, Montgomery said. Once that's finished, they can begin to install the pieces. According to Montgomery, the communications center could be pressed into action during any incident that disables or overloads normal communications networks. It also will be available to travel to other counties as needed. "ARES is like the fire department at the airport," Montgomery said. "We train all the time for something we hope never happens. But we will train with the new equipment, and we will be ready if something does happen." As for the donor of the vehicle, Mercy Flights boasts a fleet of 18 active ambulances, Parsons said. Finding new homes for the old units is a duty he relishes. "Since we are a nonprofit, we have a practice of donating our retired ambulances to agencies that need them," he stated, adding that some vehicles have even left the country, sent to paramedic groups in Honduras and Mexico. ARES certainly fit the description of a worthy recipient. "ARES plays a very important role in public safety and the functioning of county services," Parsons said. Paul Hadella is a freelance writer living in Talent. Reach him at [email protected].