Jeremiah Norrell still remembers the day his grandfather introduced him to ham radio. He was just eight years old and recalls being fascinated by the book his grandpa gave him about amateur radio. Although eventually pursuing a career in telecommunications, Norrell continued to tinker with radios in his spare time. After the 2009 Sand Fire, he joined the local branch of the Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES), aware of how beneficial radios can be in an emergency. “It’s a means of communication that doesn’t fail,” he explains. “When cell phone towers go down, and your home phone stops working, ham radio will still work.”   

 Two years ago, Norrell joined the American Red Cross Gold Country Region as a way to put his radio skills to good use, and ended up in leadership roles for both the Sheltering and Disaster Action teams. For his efforts, he was recently named a Red Cross Volunteer Hero for El Dorado County. What’s more, Norrell also volunteers as a communications technician for the Georgetown Fire Department and is currently in training to become a volunteer firefighter. “It’s really fulfilling to be able to help people when they can do nothing for you in return. It makes me feel really good,” he shares. But Norrell also hasn’t forgotten his love of amateur radio: His hobby is refurbishing used radios for donation. “I’ve got well over 100 in my garage at this point,” he confesses.

 — Amber Foster // Photos by Dante Fontana.

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