Radio club going strong Radio club going strong (October 01, 2004)

Mountain View police and fire work with Blackberry REACT

By Huong C. Pham

Although hardly high-tech, good, old-fashioned radio communication still has a role to play at community events and natural disasters.

Local members of Blackberry REACT (Radio Emergency Associated Communications Team), a group which meets in Mountain View every month, use their radio skills to connect the community.

Although the team, a branch of a nonprofit organization called REACT International, does not receive police or military training, it is on call 24 hours a day and is prepared for any situation. Blackberry REACT provides radio communication at community events and natural disasters and road-side assistance. Its members also conduct exercises with the fire department.

The group also provided radio service at the recent Art and Wine Festival in downtown Mountain View.

"They're an invaluable source of help," said Lynn Brown, spokesperson for the Mountain View Fire Department "They were our eyes and ears (at the festival), and we are fortunate to work closely with them."

Blackberry REACT, one of 1,090 chapters in the international organization, was named for its original members who lived in Cupertino in an area covered with blackberries, said co-founders Jim Galbreath, who is now 80 years old.

"Blackberry REACT only exists to help others," said Galbreath.

The group currently has 20 members, and everyone is trained once a month to help out at events. Training includes work on radio communications, first aid and traffic control, and members are taught how to deal with the police and terrorist incidents, said Jon Mosby, president of Blackberry REACT.

Blackberry members are not limited to the number of radio frequencies that can be used. Some frequencies such as CB (Citizen Band) require the operator to pay a fee or take a test to receive a license or both.

"CB is the only disaster- and terrorist-proof form of communication because (there are) a lot of amateur radios in the field that not one act can destroy," said Mosby. "However, Blackberry uses General Mobile Radio Service at most events because it has more power."

The organization recently received an ambulance vehicle through a donation that it modified into a communications van. With three radio stations in the vehicle, Blackberry can operate in all kinds of weather, said Mosby.

Blackberry REACT meets on the first Wednesday of each month. The meetings run from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at 580 Castro Street in the Chamber of Commerce Meeting Room.

REACT International has a fee of $28 (which includes liability insurance for each team member), and Blackberry has dues of a dollar a month or $10 annually.

For more information, visit www.blackberryreact.org.

E-mail Huong C. Pham at hpham@mv-voice.com

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