ARES (Amateur Radio Emergency Service)

By George Fletcher, AD5CQ
ARES Emergency Coordinator for Southeast Harris County

What is ARES?

Do I need any training?

What would I do as an ARES volunteer?

How is ARES organized?

What agencies does ARES serve?

OK, where do I signup?

What is ARES?

ARES is a group of amateur radio operators that have volunteered their equipment and ability in support of emergency communications normally within a specific geographic location, i.e. southeast Harris county or District 14 (all of Harris county).

ARES members are amateur radio operators that have recognized the importance of providing emergency communications to help protect the lives and property of their neighbors during a time of emergency or disaster. The FCC (Federal Communications Commission) also recognizes the value of amateur radio during an emergency because that ability to provide emergency communications is the number one reason why amateur radio is allowed to exist in our country (see FCC rules for the amateur radio service).

Every licensed amateur radio operator is eligible to serve as an ARES member regardless if they are an ARRL member or not.

Do I need any training?

In times past there was no specific training required. Times have changed and the agencies that we serve (referred to as “served agencies”) do now expect a certain level of understanding of the ICS (Incident Command System) and the processes that might be used within that system of operation. The ARES members in District 14 (Harris county) are asked to take a minimum of four free courses offered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Those courses are IS-100, IS-200, IS-700 and IS-800. These four courses form the foundation of knowledge that an ARES member would need to have in order to effectively function within an ICS operation. Additionally ICS courses IS-26 is and IS-802 are also encouraged. These course can be found at http://training.fema.gov/IS/crslist.asp

The concept of training can also cover use of radios, antennas, and general amateur radio operations. Each ARES member needs to be fully competent on the operation of his\her own equipment, antennas and any other associated equipment, i.e. computers, interface hardware. That is why we continually encourage ARES members to 1) participate in weekly nets, 2) participate in public service events and 3) participate in Field Day activities. Any ham radio operator that does not know how to operate their equipment or understand the processes surrounding the Incident Command System are going to become an impediment instead of a valued resource.

Another valuable training resource is the ARRL Emergency Communications courses EC-16 and EC-001. These courses are currently being revised and updated so visit http://www.arrl.org/online-course-catalog for the latest information regarding course offerings.

What would I do as an ARES volunteer?

Your service as an ARES member is offered to various served agencies primarily as a “communicator”. Normally that would mean amateur radio but it is not limited to amateur radio only. In some cases you may be asked to operate a fax machine or man a telephone or some other form of communication that may not involve using amateur radio hardware. ARES members are flexible and can serve in many different capacities as “communicators”. It is not unreasonable for ARES members to also be asked to become “data gatherers”. In some cases you may be asked to seek out information or obtain information directly yourself that is then officially communicated.

How is ARES organized?

The ARRL Field Organizations are divided into Divisions, Sections and Districts. Harris county is part of the West Gulf Division, South Texas Section. Within the South Texas Section are fifteen separate districts. Harris county is District 14. Normally each district has one Emergency Coordinator. Since Harris county is so populous it is further divided into four subsections. Southeast Harris county is one of those subsections. ARES members are assigned to an Emergency Coordinator who in turn reports to a District Emergency Coordinator.

What agencies does ARES serve?

We serve primarily the Harris County Office of Emergency Management. We also have teams of volunteers that serve other municipal entities such as City of Pasadena , City of LaPorte, Seabrook, Memorial Hermann Hospital Southeast just to name a few. Who we serve and for how long depends on the nature of the emergency\disaster and our District Emergency Coordinator.

Signup for ARES

Signing up for ARES is simple. Complete the Form-98 and send it to your local Emergency Coordinator. If you are planning to support the Harris county ARES group then you are also requested to register and login to the ARES database at http://www.harriscountyares.org . Fill out the form-98 as complete as possible as this gives your emergency coordinator valuable information about the resources that you can bring to an emergency activation.

Comments, questions, updates or concerns? Contact the moderator for this area: George Fletcher AD5CQ