Pumpkin patrol
The PART club has been assisting the Westford Police on Halloween night for 30 years. While the operation is decidedly low key (the presence of a car in, say, a school parking lot discourages "little devils" from visiting), club members have lots of fun. This simple gesture is exemplary of PART's contribution to the community.
Pumpkin Patrol involves the use of Amateur Radio volunteers providing additional eyes and ears to the Town of Westford during the annual Trick or Treat event. Our purpose is to observe and report any potential safety concerns back to the PART Pumpkin Patrol Net Control Station which will be located at the Westford Police station. A report from one of our patrols will get handed off to the Westford PD dispatcher and addressed by the Town's public safety services. Our role is ONLY to report what we see and provide input to our Town's public safety departments.
We normally require 5 - 8 radio operators per "shift" that will patrol various geographical sections of town. Maps and a checklist of locations to watch will be provided when you check-in for your assignment. Check-in occurs at the Westford Police station where we record your call sign and your vehicle information. You do NOT need to be a resident of the Town of Westford to volunteer, but a basic familiarity to the town's geography is a plus!
We have quite a few new hams and club members this year. If warranted, a meeting prior to the event may be scheduled. This will give our new folks and veterans a chance to interact and become comfortable with the operation.
The normal time for Trick or Treaters is 6 PM until 8 PM. Our activities have varied over the years, but we normally will run the operation from 5:30 PM until 10:00 - 11:00 PM. If the weather is lousy, the net closure time will be adjusted accordingly. We try and accommodate every individual's schedule, we have run with 2 shifts in the past... an early and a late shift. We will accept your offer to assist at any time throughout the course of the evening.
The plans are to use the WB1GOF 2 meter repeater (146.955 PL 74.4) for the entire event. So all a volunteer will need is a radio capable of operating on that frequency. A vehicle will help too, but if you don't drive and want to ride shotgun with another Ham, that can be accommodated as well.
For more info or to volunteer, please contact Terry at KA8SCP "at" wb1gof.org