Neighbors You Hope You Never Need

Condensed and reprinted with permission of the Richmond Beach Community News

You may not know much about Shoreline Auxiliary Communications Service—and in many ways, that's a good thing. ACS belongs to the category of services we hope we never need but probably will.

For ACS President Alan Coburn (KE7IBO), that understanding runs deep. As a boy, he watched his father—a fire chief and civil defense director—prepare the family during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Years later, he led a team of structural engineers assessing federal building damage after the Nisqually Earthquake. That arc of experience, from childhood awareness to professional response, shaped his conviction that communities must prepare before disaster strikes.

Alan's wife Gail (KE7IBM) completed CERT training through Northshore Fire in 2004; Alan followed through Shoreline Fire in 2006. That shared commitment led them both to Shoreline ACS, where they now serve alongside roughly 35 FCC-licensed, FEMA-certified volunteers drawn from backgrounds in AI, robotics, law enforcement, structural engineering, and emergency management.

The team's guiding mantra captures their approach: Be relevant. Be ready. Be responsive. Be reliable. Be resilient. Be there.

While ham radio remains the backbone of emergency communications—reliable precisely because it operates independently of cellular infrastructure—Shoreline ACS has expanded well beyond radio. The organization's mobile communications van can operate across HF, VHF, and UHF amateur bands, public safety frequencies, and multiple commercial platforms simultaneously, enabling coordination across agencies during complex emergencies.

That capability was put to the test in 2025, when the team's ACEDIT system supported security for Justice Sonia Sotomayor's visit to the area. ACEDIT integrates satellite data, drones, and ground teams into a unified operating picture that incident commanders can access from anywhere. During that same mission, ACEDIT also served as a critical support link when North King County SWAT was activated for an active shooter incident in nearby Kenmore.

As Alan notes, modern reliance on smartphones creates a false sense of security. "Radio is critical because it will be there when you need it." When cell networks are overloaded or down—at a Seahawks parade, in a major storm, after an earthquake—ACS is already in position.

Shoreline ACS is currently working to strengthen both its capabilities and its team. If you're interested in emergency preparedness, amateur radio, or serving your community when it matters most, visit shorelineacs.org.

Reprinted in a condensed form with permission of the Richmond Beach Community News.