On Monday, April 20th, Patriots’ Day, the 113th Boston Marathon was run. Well before sunrise, nine amateur (ham) radio operators from the Seacoast area of New Hampshire met at Seabrook Greyhound Park, piled into a school bus driven by our club president, Bob (K1AX), and made the trip down to the Boston Marathon to provide nearly ten hours of continuous communications support.
At 6:30 AM, Jason (WA1NH), David (K1HKY), Derek (KB1LXX), Igor (KB1QOV), Christy (KB1RWF), Bob (K1AX), Barry (KB1VX), Loren (W1UV) and I, signed in and sat for a pre-race meeting with several hundred Red Cross and amateur radio volunteers at the Masonic Hall in Newton, MA. In all, approximately 250 hams assisted marathon organizers in ensuring the safety and efficient operation of a race with over 26,000 runners and half a million spectators.
Days before the marathon, each volunteer amateur radio operator receives a course assignment. Seating in the Masonic Hall is based on this assignment. Christy (KB1RWF) and I sat down with fellow ham, David (KD1NA), from Groveland, MA, at a table marked F19 indicating that we were, First Aid #19. There are 25 first aid stations on the race course, as well as water stops designated by a W on the assignment sheet. In addition to these sites, some hams are positioned with Disaster Medical Assistance Teams (DMAT), in trucks & vans providing logistical support, on bikes and in command centers. According to Steve Schwarm (W3EVE), the Marathon Amateur Radio Communications (MARC) Course Coordinator,
This is the largest public service event in New England in terms of the number of Amateur Radio operators required for a one-day event, and we can always use more hams to help us.
Joining us at our table were six Red Cross medical personnel. The Red Cross, our served agency, wore official, red marathon jackets, while all hams wore the official, yellow marathon jacket that day. One Red Cross member at each first aid station is the supervisor, the person in charge of that particular site.
After some opening remarks and getting to know our team members for the day, the meeting ended and we headed out to our assigned course locations. Our Seacoast contingent was deployed along the course as follows:
- Loren (W1UV) W21 (21.1 miles)
- Jason (WA1NH) F16 (21.7 miles)
- David (K1HKY) F16
- Derek (KB1LXX) F16
- Igor (KB1QOV) F18 (22.4 miles)
- Chris (K1PRD) F19 (22.8 miles)
- Christy (KB1RWF) F19
- Bob (K1AX) F20 (23.2 miles)
- Barry (KB1VX) F20
My position at F19 was located at the corner of Beacon Street at Dean Road in Brookline, MA, exactly 22.8 miles (36.7 km) into the race. This meant we would have runners coming by shortly after climbing the nearly half mile long Heartbreak Hill between miles 20 and 21. Arriving at our location, we unpacked our radio gear and supplies, powered up our HTs and checked into Net Control, W1M (World’s number 1 Marathon), using our tactical call sign for the day,
“Net Control this is Foxtrot One Nine. Kilo 1 Papa Romeo Delta, K1PRD, checking in.”
We had received a channelized, 2 meter frequency list the night before and our group was on channel six. Nearly a dozen overlapping repeaters are used for amateur radio coverage during the Boston Marathon and we were easily readable by Net Control on only a watt or two.
Our station supervisor assigned each of us to a two person Red Cross walking medical team or “go team.” Since runners don’t always make it to a first aid station before stopping for help, two medical personnel and a ham are sent out to help the stricken runner. I went out on two such calls and notified net control before doing so,
“Net Control this is Foxtrot One Nine going out to assist medical. Heading towards Foxtrot 20. Request alternate call sign.”
Net Control, tracking each alternate, tactical call sign, replied,
“Foxtrot One Nine use Foxtrot One Nine Alpha. Report to Net when you return.”
From this point on I used F19A as my tactical call and ran (literally) with two Red Cross medical personnel to the aid of a runner. Both of my “go team” medical situations turned out to be unnecessary. By the time we arrived, the runner had either rejoined the race or was escorted to an ambulance by the police or an EMT in the area. In each case, I reported this to Net Control and then the three of us would work our way back through the crowd to our first aid station. While I was out, another ham from our station went out to assist a medical team and was given the call, F19B. Had a third walking medical been needed, the call would be F19C. One can quickly see the pattern in the tactical call signs used.
At our first aid station, we had many runners stop for help. Most, it appeared, complained of leg cramps while some had cuts & scrapes from falls. Many just needed water and a moment or two of rest. Race day weather was dry and partly cloudy with the temperature in the high 40s. A strong, cold ocean wind blew throughout much of the day. Runners on the course for four hours or longer would have a difficult time keeping warm so one of the medical issues our Red Cross team looked for was hypothermia. Only once did our station supervisor hand us an ambulance request form. Dave (KD1NA) used this form to efficiently and quickly pass along information needed by Net Control to dispatch an ambulance to our location.
Working the Boston Marathon as a ham is a great experience. It sharpens your operating skills, you learn from more experienced hams, and you professionally serve an agency. Our Red Cross team at F19, and no doubt all the other Red Cross volunteers along the course, was exceptional. I’m looking forward to working with the dedicated amateur radio operators and other volunteers at the 2010 Boston Marathon.
[To register for amateur radio communications support at the 2010 Boston Marathon visit, marc.mmra.org]