FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 17, 2020
FLOMATON, AL – The Rural Radio Preparedness Association has elected their Board of Directors for 2020. Members from across southeast Alabama and northwest Florida gathered in Brewton Thursday for their annual headquarters meeting
Arc Thames, W4CPD, was elected President of the Association. Arc, is the local Warden of the Pace Range and has served as the Vice President of Florida Operations for the past year. “I am honored to have the trust and confidence of our membership as we engage 2020 full bore,” said Thames. “I am fully committed to achieving the Board’s goals and believe we are part of something unique,” he added. Thames will be spearheading several projects underway to expand emergency radio coverage across rural Alabama and the Florida Panhandle.
T.H. Merritt, KL5YJ, was re-elected Vice President and will continue to focus on public education and support for the Association’s goals. Merritt conceived the idea of an amateur radio organization focused on rural areas in 2017 and launched the initiative in January 2018 with the help of radio operators in Brewton, AL. “This is probably the most important project I have ever been involved in,” said Merritt. “Communication is the key to survival during and after a disaster,” said Merritt.
The Association has established chapters, called “Ranges” in Brewton, Pace, Andalusia and Greeneville, AL. They also have a partnership with the National Weather Service through their SKYWARN division to assist with early warning during severe weather.
“We are so much more than just a radio club,” says Thames. “We are a positive family-friendly group that help make an interesting hobby fun for the whole family and be better prepared for emergencies.”
The RRPA will be holding first-aid, CPR, SKYWARN and education classes across the region this year and will be adding more local Ranges soon.
The RRPA is an IRS certified non-profit 501 c 3 public service charity. For more information, please visit www.rrpahq.org or check us out on Facebook or Twitter.
RRRPA Headquarters
P.O.Box 808
Flomaton, AL 36441
RRPA is a 501(c)3 Public Charity EIN 82-4667676