|
RACES
RACES Membership Application
Form
RACES Member Roster
What Is RACES?
Founded in 1952, the Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES) is
a public service that provides a reserve communications group within
government agencies in times of extraordinary need. During periods of
activation, RACES personnel are called upon to perform many tasks for
the government agencies they serve. Although the exact nature of each
activation will be different, the common thread is communications.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is responsible for the regulation
of RACES operations. Each RACES group is administrated by a local, county,
or state civil defense agency responsible for disaster services. This
civil defense agency is typically an emergency services or
emergency management organization, sometimes within another agency such
as police or fire. In some areas, RACES may be part of an agency's
Auxiliary Communications Service (ACS). Some RACES groups call themselves
by other names (often to avoid confusion with similarly sounding terms
such as "racist" or "horse races"), such as ACS, DCS (Disaster Communications
Service), or ECS (Emergency Communications Service). The Federal
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) provides planning guidance, technical
assistance, and funding for establishing a RACES organization at the state
and local government level. A comprehensive RACES manual, Guidance for
Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service, is available on the FEMA Web site
(http://www.fema.gov/library/civilpg.htm).
The importance of RACES operations cannot be stressed enough. The Amateur
Radio Regulations, Part 97, Subpart F, were created by the FCC to describe
RACES operations in detail. Although no longer issued (but still valid
and renewable), special licenses were issued in the past by the FCC to
government agencies for RACES operations.
RACES provides a pool of emergency communications personnel that can be
called on in time of need. RACES groups across the country prepare themselves
for the inevitable day when they will be called upon. When a local, county,
or state government agency activates its RACES group, that group will
use its resources to meet whatever need that agency has.
Traditional RACES operations involve emergency message handling on Amateur
Radio Service frequencies. These operations typically involve
messages between critical locations such as hospitals, emergency services,
emergency shelters, and any other locations where communication is needed.
These communications are handled in any mode available, with 2 meters
FM being the most prevalent.
Other tasks that RACES personnel are involved with may not involve amateur-radio
communications. For example, RACES communicators may become involved in
public-safety or other government communications, Emergency Operations
Center (EOC) staffing, and
emergency equipment repair.
Whatever need arises, trained RACES personnel are ready and prepared to
help. RACES groups develop and maintain their communications ability by
training throughout the year with special exercises and public-service
events. When that fateful day occurs, RACES will be there to meet the
challenge.
To join RACES, contact your local, county, or state RACES Radio Officer
or RACES Coordinator.
|
|
