‰ NOW 20 WPM ‰ TEXT IS FROM JUNE 2014 QST PAGE 75‰ OR A TRAFFIC ACCIDENT. OUR ROLE IS TO COMMUNICATE EMERGENCIES WHEN THEY HAPPEN. IF WE LOOK AT WHAT WE DO OVERALL, WE EASILY SEE THAT MOST OF OUR WORK IS IN THE AREA OF PUBLIC SERVICE EVENTS FESTIVALS, PARADES, MARATHONS, ETC. DISASTERS ARE OUR SECOND LARGEST AREA OF WORK. HURRICANE RESPONSE ALWAYS INCLUDES AMATEUR RADIO, AND THE SKYWARN PROGRAM WOULD NOT BE THE SAME WITHOUT AMATEUR RADIO SUPPORT. TRUE EMERGENCIES, HOWEVER, ARE VERY RARE. IF WE WERE TO BREAK IT DOWN BY THE NUMBERS, ACCORDING TO OUR COLLECTIVE YEARS OF EXPERIENCE, WE CAN SAFELY SAY THAT AMATEUR RADIO PUBLIC SERVICE COMMUNICATIONS IS ABOUT 80 PERCENT PUBLIC SERVICE EVENTS, 19 PERCENT DISASTER COMMUNICATIONS, AND 1 PERCENT EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS. THIS BREAKDOWN HELPS US SEE THE WHOLE PICTURE OF THE VALUE OF THE AMATEUR ‰ END OF 20 WPM TEXT ‰ QST DE W1AW ƒ