Fire Department Installs Shortwave Antenna

Gun Barrel City Fire Department in Texas, USA and the Cedar Creek Amateur (ham) Radio Club have teamed up to create backup communications in cases when storms take out electrical power, damages cellular phone networks, and even renders Internet and landlines useless.
 
A couple of years ago, the local Amateur/Ham Radio club installed a basic radio with a range of 15 miles as part of the Emergency Operations Center the fire department maintains to coordinate communication in the area. That range meets most local needs.
 
However, the tornadoes which struck the area in late April (not to mention hurricanes Ike and Katrina) have demonstrated the need to communicate beyond the local area. 
 
Working with Fire Chief Joseph Lindaman, the club has installed just such a station that can reach out to metropolitan centers outside of the local area. “It is just another layer of protection for area residents,” radio operator Ed Busch said.
 
Full article - http://themonitor.net/blog2/2017/06/02/fire-department-installs-shortwave-antenna/