Just an opinion or two here: I can't see Whitley's or any other Dispatchers doing a lot of HAM work while doing their other job, nor do I see a lot of "dispatching" over the HAM freqs (too much money has been granted to "fix" the radio system there). But, I can see the presence of HAM gear in their EOC as a real attempt to add another avenue of contact with the public and a route to receive credible information as needed. During the two Ice Storms earlier this year I used my little 2 Meter HT a number of times to report stuff because my cell fone was useless... I think this is another indication that the folks in KYEM Area 11 are trying to pave as many communications routes as possible and learn how to use them to keep people safe. Let's face it, there are more 2M rigs out there than Public Safety rigs and a fair number of HAMS know what they are talking about when they describe a scene.... and, unlike cell fones and CBs, there is a paper trail leading to the user.... seems like an awesome idea to me!
