From:

******************************************** The ARRL Letter

Published by the American Radio Relay League ********************************************

==> + PUBLIC SERVICE: AMERICAN RED CROSS TO PHASE OUT EMERGENCY COMMUNICATION RESPONSE VEHICLES

The American Red Cross has made the decision to phase out and decommission its Emergency Communication Response Vehicles (ECRVs) due to changes in technology, as well as a new satellite system and other factors regarding the vehicle fleet. "Retrofitting the decade-old vehicles with new equipment is not a good use of donated funds, as the long-term strategy is to move to more portable systems," American Red Cross Disaster Services Technology Manager Keith Robertory, KG4UIR, told the ARRL. "This is consistent with the trends in the telecom and technology industries."

The American Red Cross will be removing the Amateur Radios from the ECRVs as part of the decommissioning process. These radios will either become part of the deployable inventory or provided to the local American Red Cross chapter to build local capacity. Robertory explained that from a radio perspective, the American Red Cross has a variety of different kits for amateur, business and public safety bands covering HF, VHF and UHF with portable radios, mobile units and base stations: "Two-way radio remains a valuable tool, providing communications in the initial days or weeks of a disaster, until normal communications is restored. Each American Red Cross chapter should continue with -- and improve -- the relationship with their local Amateur Radio operators. In a disaster, Amateur Radio will be the fastest deployed radio network because operators already live in the impacted communities." Read more here http://www.arrl.org/news/american-red-cross-to-phase-out-emergency-communication-response-vehicles.