As a non-ham, I've read through most of this thread, and in a sense it's an example of how much ham radio has changed, in importance, since the late 20th Century.
It's no longer as much of a vital and new tech as it was even 30 years ago. Even the new digital modes are either underused (aside from FT8, which seems to be limited in emergency use) or simply not as effective for information retrieval and dispersion as a working cell system. I remember studying for a license in the early 1990s and packet radio was the massive new thing. It was supposed to be like email sent over 2 Meters, and there were even packet systems that would apparently work on HF. There was talk in the ham and SWL mags about packet radio, how it was going to change everything. How much is that even used? And how helpful would packet radio be -- if it's still being used -- in a big emergency?
It's an example of a new ham radio tech that gets surpassed even before it becomes popular. CW and SSB still seem to rule (and FM on VHF/UHF) because they're fairly simple tech, and easy to use. But a lot of talk here is about advanced stuff used by first responders -- tech that appears to surpass ham radio, even if you take away the other factors (training, etc.).
The fires in Maui were devastating. And from everything I've read, whether here, or on forums used by radio industry pros, the general consensus is that little could be done on either end (ham or broadcast radio) to lessen the impact of the fires. The fires moved too fast, and were too destructive. Not even AM and FM radio could do much, due to the constraints of automated playlists, lack of personnel at the stations, issues with power at the stations, the speed of the fires, and other factors.
I once intended to be a ham (life got in the way) and may still take that plunge, and I still monitor the HF ham bands frequently. But I don't think the hobby holds the same importance in emergencies that it did even 20 years ago. I really don't know much about ARRL's EMCOMM, but if it means they think that ham radio can be vital in massive emergencies, although I applaud their effort to remain vital to the local community, I think they're a bit mistaken.
Maybe in a TEOTWAWKI or SHTF scenario, ham radio would have a part to play. But in a lot of emergencies, especially when so few people in the general public even know what ham radio is, ham radio's emergency importance is a tough sell.
Parker did the heavy lifting, but it takes knowledgeable and experienced public safety communications professionals to communicate ACCURATE, in the field needs to get the things that need to be repaired done correctly the first time. It is 0% fun to have to explain to the Governors office why taxpayers are paying twice for the same work because you had no clue what you were looking at, and a guarantee that you will not get to deploy ever again.:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/GettyImages-118451569-57080f053df78c7d9ea9093e.jpg)
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