A firefighter and ham radio hobbyist in Maryland helps Florida residents stranded after Hurricane Ian. Baltimore firefighter Dale Klonin is an amateur ham radio operator with an interest in news and weather events. In the wake of Hurricane Ian, the 46-year-old from Hampstead, Maryland, had been monitoring information about rescue efforts.
Last week, while getting his car tuned up, he was talking to the service adviser, Aly Ruiz, about the hurricane. She mentioned that her sister was stranded on Sanibel Island and she hadn’t heard from her in hours and was concerned. Klonin took some information from Aly and said he’d look into it for her. Ruiz didn’t realize that Klonin could really help, but using his ham radio, he was able to get a message to the Florida State Emergency Operation Center.
Klonin was able to let authorities on the ground in Florida know exactly where to find Aly and the eight other stranded residents with her so they could mount a rescue mission. He then relayed everything he was hearing back to her so she could relax a little knowing someone was trying to get her sister to safety. "I didn't ask him to do any of that,” Aly says. “He offered.” And thanks, in part, to Klonin’s help, Aly’s sister was safely evacuated from the island.
Source: FOX News
Photo: Getty Images