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About Seaside signal. (Seaside, Or.) 1905-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 29, 2017)
4A • September 29, 2017 • Seaside Signal • seasidesignal.com SignalViewpoints GETTING THE MESSAGE OUT WHEN ALL ELSE FAILS I n case of emergency, start here. Ham radio is at the heart of our region’s safety efforts when the Big One hits. “We know it’s going to hap- pen,” said Hal Denison, President of Seaside Tsunami Amateur Radio and a licensed expert radio operator. “We’ve been training for that on a daily basis.” Amateur radio is the last resource in an emergency when there is no other means of communication. “That’s what we prepare for and back up for,” Denison said. “There may not be phones. There may not be cell phones. We don’t really know how many are going to survive. But we know that the amateur radio is run- ning.” The more operators, the greater the possibility of having people who can help, Denison said. Local radio enthusiasts watched with great interest the response in Texas and Florida after a season of hurricanes and fl oods. “From a ham point of view, we know those were the only commu- nications down there,” Dana Gandy, president of Sunset Empire Amateur Radio, said. Broad-based community Radio operators in the region range from age 8 to older than 90. “They all jump in and work togeth- er,” Irv Emmons, a former communi- cations professional and amateur radio operator said. “If anyone has any issues, we all jump in and try to resolve them.” Terry Williams received her license 10 years ago when she moved to Sea- side. She got hooked after making radio communication with a radio operator in Scotland. “I’ve been on the radio ever since,” Williams said. “I love it.” Since then she’s served as an offi cer of the Seaside Tsunami Amateur Radio Society and continues to introduce other women to the hobby. The women hold a practice session every Sunday night at 8 p.m. and a “hams’ brunch” at the Uptown Cafe in Warrenton. A power boost Users fi nd a wide range of technolo- gy, from basic packages to sophisticated gadgetry. A hand-held battery offers low, medium and high power capabilities, Denison said. On high power, a battery will be dead in one day. Medium power pro- vides two to three days of communica- tions. Low power lasts longer — up to four days — but limits broadcast reach. Capabilities are rapidly being en- hanced, Denison added. Solar power, backup generators and car-size batteries can provide many days of power after an emergency event. One operator uses a bicycle power to generate power. A self-sustaining repeater site in Arch Cape operates on solar power with no connection to the grid, bringing cov- erage from Nehalem to Warrenton. Far and wide Repeater and EchoLink sites allow licensed operators using a computer or smartphone to connect to repeater sites anywhere in the world. Gearhart approved a repeater site at the city’s September council meeting. The site, including pole, electrical communications and equipment, is budgeted at about $5,000, and will provide amateur radio service from the SUBMITTED PHOTO Local author Shannon Symonds and Mayor Jay Barber. Domestic violence and sex traffi cking more prevalent than you think R.J. MARX/SEASIDE SIGNAL Ham radio operators Dana Gandy, Irv Emmons, Doug Barker, Carl Yates and Hal Denison. ‘WE KNOW IT’S GOING TO HAPPEN. We’ve been training for that on a daily basis…. That’s what we prepare for and back up for. There may not be phones. There may not be cell phones. We don’t really know how many are going to survive. BUT WE KNOW THAT THE AMATEUR RADIO IS RUNNING.’ Hal Denison, President of Seaside Tsunami Amateur Radio Arch Cape area to trained more than the northern tip of SEEN FROM SEASIDE 900 hams since the Long Beach the region’s 2007 R.J. MARX peninsula. storm, which A site in Sea- brought the need side at the water to the fore. treatment plant Investment is has battery backup and two separate about $35 plus a $15 license good for generator backups, Denison said. 10 years. A remote message system site in Denison teaches “everything there Seaside, located at Seaside Heights El- is to know” to pass the beginning FCC ementary School, uses a laptop capable license classes. of sending emails over radio waves. Club members help new hams get Global positioning systems capabil- started, make wise decisions about what ities can provide specifi c information they purchase and give them hands-on about a user’s location when other experience leading to licensing, Gandy means fail, helping to identify victims said. who may be trapped or isolated. Carl Yates attended a class shortly “If you get in trouble, and you have after relocating to Seaside and earned no other means of communicating, you his technician’s license. can type in a code in an emergency with “I’m kind of a novice,” he admitted. your exact location,” Gandy said. “But I’m an example of somebody He said GPS capabilities have so far who can start from scratch and go from been sporadic, but will be brought into there.” all of the county’s radio sites. How to train Training Training in procedures and com- munication are not only essential but mandatory, as all operators must be federally licensed. Amateurs are licensed by class, from the entry technician level to the intermediate general license and the top level of “extra class,” a distinction held by Gandy and Denison. “The higher you get in, the more complicated it is, but the more benefi ts you have,” Denison said. “You have more frequencies to operate on.” Gandy, a former information technology professional, said there are more than 600 members in the area’s two clubs, and the teaching group has Clatsop County Auxiliary Emer- gency Communications presents a ham radio licensing class Friday, Oct. 20, from 4:30 to 9 p.m. at Clatsop Commu- nity College’s South County Campus in Seaside, and all day on Oct. 21. A similar course takes place Oct. 28 in Astoria. Groups like STARS check in on a weekly basis by giving their names and information. A South County check-in — for the communities of Arch Cape, Seaside, Cannon Beach, Gearhart and Warrenton — takes place Wednesdays. “It’s a great hobby,” Emmons said. “I’ve been in it since 1960.” “We’re all hams fi rst,” Gandy said. L ast Tuesday evening I skipped book club to attend a program hosted by the Seaside Branch of the American Association of University Women held at Beach Books. The topic was domestic violence and sex crimes, subjects that have captured my journalistic interest for a very long time. The meeting was a “get-acquainted” get-together. Fol- lowing opening remarks by Cindy Gould, AAUW’s local chapter president, Shannon Symonds, author of the novel, “Safe House” and part-time advocate of domestic and VIEW FROM sexual assault vic- tims. Symonds was THE PORCH joined by Seaside’s EVE MARX Mayor Jay Barber, an advisor for Shared Hope International, an organization dedicated to ending sex traffi cking. Symonds, who by day is the outreach manager for the Foster Club in Seaside, said she became a domestic vio- lence advocate years ago after working at Head Start. There are two types of abusers, Symonds said. One is a “cycler,” a person whose triggers are known and who almost predictably goes off the rails; the second and more deadly type is the abuser who often has no prior docu- mented history of abuse. “There may have been no red fl ags,” she said. These abusers are power motivated and are control junkies. “They are the ones who are most likely to commit a homicide,” Symonds said. The most dangerous time for the victim is when she decides to leave. Symonds said victims least likely to seek help are women of means. “The more you have to lose, the less you will tell,” she said. Maintaining personal privacy is the primary reason victims don’t report; there is also con- cern the abuser may lose his job and stature in the commu- nity. Victims in these cases rarely report abuse or follow through to press charges when police become involved. That’s because they love their abuser and keep hoping for the best. These victims customarily play down the severity of the abuse, claiming even serious injuries as minor. Barber told the audience I-5 is the principal thorough- fare for sex traffi cking in this part of the country. “It’s a hotbed,” he said. He spoke of his work with Shared Hope, an organization offering legal counsel to victims, and boosts initiatives such as the Protected Innocence annual report on state child sex traffi cking laws and Traffi c Stop, which examines state agency responses to traffi cking. Sex traffi cking, Barber said, is America’s fastest growing crime. He quoted an expert on the subject who called traffi cking “the new slavery.” In Oregon, to target victims, traffi ckers use social net- works that appeal to teens. Victims tend to be 14-16 years of age, although girls as young as 9 have been known to be traffi cked. Many victims, and they are not all female, are victims of prior sexual abuse, are in foster care, or are runaways. He cautioned people shouldn’t think sex traffi cking can’t happen in Seaside. Symonds said no shelter or safe house currently is in operation in Clatsop County for victims and their children of sex abuse or domestic violence. More money, she said, has been raised or allocated to animal shelters. But the need for a human shelter in this area is very real. October is Domestic Violence Awareness month. “If we can help one person at a time,” Symonds said, “That’s a victory.” LETTERS Vote no to short-term rental measure I have received a lot of ques- tions on the short-term rental repeal and replace ordinance that will be on the ballot this fall and is fi nanced by a political fi rm out of California and a vacation rental management corporation. I want to be perfectly clear on what Measure 4-188 will mean for the residents of Gearhart. A yes vote will allow unlimit- ed short term rentals in our single family residential zones, no septic regulations, and will get rid of state PUBLISHER EDITOR David F. Pero R.J. Marx certifi ed safety inspections for fi re and life safety. A no vote will continue our cur- rent laws which include; a balanced and responsible cap allowing all STR owners to continue to rent, ad- equate septic regulations to protect neighbors from high commercial use, and certifi ed safety inspections mandating legal fi re escapes to keep children, families, and visitors safe. Our current laws also allow citi- zens to rent multiple rooms or their entire homes for 30 days or more at anytime, and allow funds from STR permits to go towards our police and fi re departments through proceeds CIRCULATION MANAGER PRODUCTION MANAGER Jeremy Feldman John D. Bruijn ADVERTISING SALES SYSTEMS MANAGER Brandy Stewart Carl Earl from our general fund. I campaigned last year on keep- ing Gearhart the quiet residential community we all know and love. As your mayor I made a vow to protect our citizens and I will con- tinue to fi ght along side you. Our residential property values, quality of life, and sense of community are at stake. With a no vote on Measure 4-188 we have the opportunity to end the divisiveness, keeping Gearhart from becoming an investment property community that would allow outside corporations to buy unlimited prop- erties on any neighborhood street. STAFF WRITER Brenna Visser CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Skyler Archibald Rebecca Herren Katherine Lacaze Eve Marx Esther Moberg Jon Rahl Please contact me anytime and I will go over our current law next to the repeal and replace ordinance line by line with you. I won’t try to convince you how to vote but will give you the facts so you can make the best choice for our future. Thank you. Mayor Matty Brown Gearhart Thanks to Sen. Johnson Columbia, Clatsop and Tillamook counties are truly fortunate to have a powerful and compassionate advo- cate in Sen. Betsy Johnson. Because of her tireless commitment to meet our needs, Oregon lawmakers made decisions that protect and provide resources for our most vulnerable neighbors. Community Action Team staff and board members wish to express deep gratitude to Sen. Johnson for asking the hard questions, seek- ing our input regarding community needs and for carrying that informa- tion to the legislative arena. Senator, please accept our many thanks for your unshakable loyalty in serving all of us. Leanne Murray St. Helens Seaside Signal Letter policy Subscriptions The Seaside Signal is published every other week by EO Media Group, 1555 N. Roosevelt, Seaside, OR 97138. 503-738-5561 seasidesignal.com Copyright 2017 © Seaside Signal. Nothing can be reprinted or copied without consent of the owners. The Seaside Signal welcomes letters to the editor. The deadline is noon Monday prior to publication. Letters must be 400 words or less and must be signed by the author and include a phone number for verifi cation. We also request that submissions be limited to one letter per month. Send to 1555 N. Roosevelt Drive, Seaside, OR 97138, drop them off at 1555 N. Roosevelt Drive or fax to 503-738-9285, or email rmarx@seasidesignal.com Annually: $40.50 in county • $58.00 in and out of county • e-Edition: only $30.00 POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Seaside Signal, P.O. Box 210, Astoria, OR 97103. Postage Paid at Seaside, OR, 97138 and at additional mailing offi ces. Copyright 2017 © by the Seaside Signal. No portion of this newspaper may be reproduced without written permission. All rights reserved.