Introducing S.I.E.R.R.A., a new foothills emergency comms nonprofit

We’re proud to share news from within the ERSN family. Jay, the ERSN member who runs our Murphys net, has founded S.I.E.R.R.A., the Signal Integrity & Emergency Radio Response Alliance. It is a new all-volunteer nonprofit that builds and operates an off-grid emergency communications network for the Calaveras and Tuolumne foothills, and trains the people who keep it running.

Grown From ERSN

S.I.E.R.R.A. is a direct offshoot of the ERSN networks. During the major snowstorm earlier this year, a GMRS repeater Jay built proved vital to the rescue of several people. That experience made the case for something larger: an off-grid hub that coordinates emergency communications between public safety agencies and residents across the foothills.

The alliance was established in 2026 as a registered California nonprofit public benefit corporation, with Jay serving as Founder and President. It brings together radio operators, public safety veterans, and engineers.

Layered Communications

No single technology survives every emergency. S.I.E.R.R.A. layers several, so that when one goes down another keeps information moving:

  • Amateur radio: Licensed operators staff nets, relay traffic, and support agency communications.
  • LoRa mesh: Solar-powered MeshCore relays along the Highway 4 and Highway 49 corridors pass short text messages and telemetry when power and cell service are down.
  • Live situational awareness: The S.I.E.R.R.A. Live Feed brings official wildfire, evacuation, weather, earthquake, and road information from CAL FIRE, Cal OES, NWS Sacramento, USGS, and CHP together on one map.

Together with the GMRS nets ERSN members already use, these layers give our community more than one way to stay connected when the grid goes dark.

Educate, Build, Operate

The work is organized around three pillars:

  • Educate: Workshops and field exercises so residents, ham operators, and agency staff know the network before they need it.
  • Build: Solar-powered relays and repeater sites engineered to keep passing messages when power and cell service are gone.
  • Operate: Trained volunteers who monitor conditions, relay traffic, and coordinate with fire districts and county emergency management.

You’ve Already Seen Their Work

If you’ve checked the road and weather conditions on our homepage or joined our mesh network, you’ve already used S.I.E.R.R.A. infrastructure. Our conditions widgets draw on the S.I.E.R.R.A. Grid data feeds, and the ERSN MeshCore repeaters are part of the SIERRA mesh network.

Get Involved

S.I.E.R.R.A. is run entirely by volunteers and is looking for ham operators, LoRa and MeshCore technicians, emergency management liaisons, field and site volunteers, and help with education and outreach.

S.I.E.R.R.A. is a volunteer organization, not an emergency dispatch service. In a life-threatening emergency, always call 911.

Congratulations to Jay and the whole S.I.E.R.R.A. team!