The USC-CPHP join forces with SCEMD and local ARES organization

As a rural state, South Carolina loses communications routinely -- sometimes on a daily basis.  In 2004, SC Emergency Management Division (SCEMD) recommended the University of South Carolina Center for Public Health Preparedness (USC-CPHP) work closely with the South Carolina Amateur Radio Emergency Services (ARES) Section Emergency Coordinator (SEC), Charlie Miller, AE4UX.  Their mission was ultimately to improve redundant communications for the statewide Palmetto 800 MHz trunked system using amateur radio, and to provide training to increase the number of trained operators available for emergency operations centers.  Although funding was available in the public health community to conduct drills and exercises, in many instances, ham radio operators were not invited to participate.  As a result, state and local agencies were unfamiliar with the capabilities of ham radio.  In January 2004, the USC-CPHP and Charlie Miller, ARES SEC, began collaborating with the visionary ham radio operators and engineers who created HEART, planning to develop a new, statewide amateur radio communications system that would be known as the SCHEART Project.

We know from 9/11, hurricanes Katrina, Wilma, and Rita, and other disaster/mass casualty events, that "When all else fails . . .," ham radios may be the only source of communications still standing.  This year, many state and federal agencies are making redundant communications “priority one,” building on lessons learned from past disasters.  For South Carolina, the SCHEART Project is designed to provide backup communications for the Palmetto 800 MHz system and other devices (cell phones and satellite radios already in existence) to support all Health and Medical responders (ESF-8).  The key strategy of the SCHEART system is to provide robust, linked UHF and VHF analog repeaters located at regional South Carolina Educational Television Network (SCETV) transmitter sites. This new system is the backbone linking local resources at community and regional hospitals, and allowing inter-regional communications or direct access to the South Carolina State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC). The new system overcomes some of the limitations and issues surrounding use of HF frequencies between coastal communities and SEOC.  A parallel digital system is planned for the coming year.