Taunton-area volunteers participated in a three-night American Red Cross course that included Introduction to Disaster Services, Mass Care—An Overview, and Shelter Management.
The classes were sponsored by Rick Ferreira, KB1KWF, who is the Director of the Taunton Emergency Management Agency. They were conducted by Dawn Snow from the American Red Cross.
Several Amateur Radio operators—including six Whitman ARC members—attended the courses: Peter Ferreira, KB1LZG; Bruce Hayden, NI1X; Carlos Wharton, WP4US; Neal Harrington, KB1LXL; Don Burke, KB1LXH; Rick Ferreira, KB1KWF; Rudy Burer, KB1LXI; George Pereira, KB1KZV; Barbara Foster, KB1KZX and Steven Foster, KB1KZW.
Providing backup, emergency communication from the Taunton Emergency Operations Center during shelter activation was of particular interest to the amateurs in attendence.
The ARRL and the American Red Cross maintain a Memorandum of Understanding at the national level.
—Whitman ARC Spectrum, April 2005