But that was before Sept. 11, 2001, and before the Damascus community started preparing for self-sufficiency during an emergency.

Noble, 65, a ham radio operator, quickly became an active member of the Damascus Emergency Preparedness Team [DEPT] after it formed in 2004. Along with several other members of the team, he trained with the county and is a member of the County Emergency Response Team, but he thought he should do more.

So, Noble began training to become an emergency medical technician at the Damascus Volunteer Fire Department. He graduated in June.

‘‘There’s nothing more helpless-feeling than to come to an accident and not be able to do anything. Now I have the training and feel I could help,” Noble said.

Noble decided to become an emergency medical technician after noticing that the ambulance was frequently sitting in the Damascus station unused. When he asked Chief Darron Long about it, he was told the station was short 10-12 EMTs, leaving it without enough volunteers for the ambulance.

‘‘I said I may have a couple of years left,” Noble said.

So he joined the Damascus Volunteer Fire Department in June 2006 as a volunteer.

He was the oldest member of the EMT class, which started with 28 and was only 20 by graduation.

‘‘If you flunk any module along the way you have to start from the beginning,” Noble said.

Volunteers receive the same training as paid firefighters.

After passing the county test, he had to pass the state test for certification.

‘‘I give him a lot of credit for someone at 65 years of age to go through such a strenuous course,” Long said.

He was also required to do an internship in an emergency room, giving him a chance to see what happens to patients after they arrive at the hospital.

‘‘I don’t really like blood and guts,” Noble said. ‘‘What I like doing is helping [patients] feel better. ... I enjoy the patient interaction.”

His neighbor, Julie Sain, president of the Damascus Emergency Preparedness Team, has been aware of Noble’s compassionate side since she moved to the neighborhood with her handicapped husband.

‘‘He’s concerned for other people,” she said.

Noble frequently picks up and delivers food for Damascus Help and volunteers at his church. He also represents Damascus on the Upcounty Citizens Advisory Board.

‘‘His problem is he’s so competent, so many people want him to do stuff for them, and he never says 'no,' ‘‘ she said.

Another project Noble has undertaken is to create an emergency communications system for Damascus in case the county grid fails or cell phones are jammed. Long asked him to create a system based at the fire station. ‘‘If something would happen to our communications system, it is a backup mechanism we didn’t have here before,” Long said.

Noble and 10-12 other ham radio operators test the system weekly, sometimes running simulated emergency scenarios with the firefighters.

‘‘We’re not just there to support the chief when the grid goes down, we’re here to augment his capability,” Noble said.

The last test was Aug. 18 when they imagined dirty bombs were set off in Washington, D.C., and people fled to Damascus, filling shelters at the high school and St. Paul Catholic Church.

Noble sent ham radios and operators to both locations and drove through town with Long.

Everyone involved followed a scenario for clogged roads, gas shortages, accidents, fires and fighting.

Noble was pleased that the radio system covered the entire area with no black holes.

The communications system has also performed well during tornado, hurricane, ice storm and flooding exercises, he said.

Noble is on call as an EMT every Sunday night, but he wears a pager and responds to calls at any time of the day or night. He carries a vest with bright orange stripes to wear while controlling traffic and keeps an emergency kit in his sport utility vehicle packed with bandages and ice packs just in case.

Although Rita at first questioned her husband’s decision to become an EMT at his age, she has come around.

‘‘I think it is great that he wants to volunteer in his community,” she said. ‘‘I am all for helping in your own community.”

And she plans to become president of Damascus Help again.