OVERVIEW OF ARES by Darrell Davis KT4WX Section Manager ARRL West Central Florida Section

PROGRAM OUTLINE I. WHAT IS ARES? II. HISTORY OF ARES III. STRUCTURE OF ARES IV. FUNCTIONS OF ARES V. EXAMPLES OF ARES OPERATIONS

I. WHAT IS ARES? ARES – “Amateur Radio Emergency Service” The Amateur Radio Emergency Service® (ARES) consists of licensed amateurs who have voluntarily registered their qualifications and equipment, with their local ARES leadership, for communications duty in the public service when disaster strikes.

I. WHAT IS ARES? Over 40,000 ARES personnel registered with their loca ARES group nationwide. ARES operators undertake training to improve their value of service: FEMA ICS Courses, the ARRL Emergency Communications Courses, and SKYWARN training to name a few.

II. HISTORY OF ARES Started in 1935 by the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) as part of its field organization. Originally called the Amateur Radio Public Service Corps. Name changed from ARPSC to ARES in the 1970's

III. STRUCTURE OF ARES National – ARRL HQ Section District (Optional) Local

III. STRUCTURE OF ARES Section Manager SM Official Emergency Station Section Emergency Coordinator SEC District Emergency Coordinator DEC Official Emergency Station OES Emergency Coordinator- EC

ARRL Headquarters – Newington, CT III. STRUCTURE OF ARES ARRL Headquarters – Newington, CT Oversees the ARRL Field Organization. Provides logistical support for ARES organizations in times of emergency

ARRL Headquarters – Newington, CT III. STRUCTURE OF ARES ARRL Headquarters – Newington, CT Provides coordination between ARRL Divisions and ARRL Sections it times of regional emergencies. Executes Memorandum of Understanding agreements with various national agencies: American Red Cross, FEMA, National Communications System, etc.

III. STRUCTURE OF ARES Section Manager Administers the ARRL Field Organization within his area of jurisdiction. Elected by the ARRL membership for a term of 2 years. Appoints the ARES Section Emergency Coordinator in his Section.

Section Emergency Coordinator III. STRUCTURE OF ARES Section Emergency Coordinator Coordinates all ARES activity between ARES jurisdictions in his Section. Provides logistical support for ARES jurisdictions in times of activation from other ARES jurisdictions in his Section. Provides liaison on behalf of ARES in his jurisdiction the State EOC through mutual agreements.

Section Emergency Coordinator III. STRUCTURE OF ARES Section Emergency Coordinator Makes recommendations to the Section Manager, or appoints under the authority of the Section Manager the following appointments: District Emergency Coordinators (DEC), or Assistant Section Emergency Coordinators (ASEC).

Section Emergency Coordinator III. STRUCTURE OF ARES Section Emergency Coordinator Makes recommendations to the Section Manager, or appoints under the authority of the Section Manager, the local Emergency Coordinator. The local Emergency Coordinator appointment is done in consultation with primary served agencies, which is now becoming common practice.

District Emergency Coordinator (Optional) III. STRUCTURE OF ARES District Emergency Coordinator (Optional) Appointed by the Section Manager or the Section Emergency Coordinator. Coordinates between his district and other ARES districts in his Section.

Assistant Section Emergency Coordinator (Optional) III. STRUCTURE OF ARES Assistant Section Emergency Coordinator (Optional) Appointed by the Section Manager or the Section Emergency Coordinator. Has specific responsibilites assigned by the Section Emergency Coordinator to assist in Section ARES operations.

Emergency Coordinator III. STRUCTURE OF ARES Emergency Coordinator Appointed by the Section Manager or the Section Emergency Coordinator. Supervises the ARES organization is his jurisdiction. Establishes a good working relationship with the served agencies in his jurisdiction.

Emergency Coordinator III. STRUCTURE OF ARES Emergency Coordinator Primary point of contact for the primary and other served agencies in his jurisdiction. Coordinates training of ARES personnel and recruitment of new ARES personnel.

Emergency Coordinator III. STRUCTURE OF ARES Emergency Coordinator Can appoint Assistant Emergency Coordinators to help him with the administration of his local ARES jurisdiction. The Emergency Coordinator can appoint as many Assistant Emergency Coordinators as he deems necessary.

Official Emergency Station III. STRUCTURE OF ARES Official Emergency Station Appointed by the Section Manager upon approval of the local Emergency Coordinator. Provides a specialized function with the local ARES organization.

ARES is a grassroots organization!! III. STRUCTURE OF ARES ARES is a grassroots organization!! ARES is run on the local level. Section and National level ARES provide support for the local ARES organziation.

ARRL West Central Florida Section III. STRUCTURE OF ARES ARRL West Central Florida Section

III. STRUCTURE OF ARES ARRL West Central Florida Section ARES Structure Section Manager: Darrell Davis KT4WX Section Emergency Coordinator: Ben Henley KI4IGX

III. STRUCTURE OF ARES ARRL West Central Florida Section ARES Structure Assistant Section Emergency Coordinators: Neil Lauritsen W4NHL – Coastal District Paul Womble K4FB – Inland District Larry Ruegger KO4QS – Coastal District Randy Payne K4EZM - Administrative

III. STRUCTURE OF ARES ARRL West Central Florida Section ARES Structure Emergency Coordinators: One per West Central Florida Section county. Emergency Coordinator for Hardee County: Darrell Davis KT4WX

IV. FUNCTIONS OF ARES Provide communications for emergency situations: Hurricane Shelters, Recovery Points of Distributions, critical infrastructure that lose their normal communications

IV. FUNCTIONS OF ARES Support of NWS SKYWARN Logistical support without actually “talking on the radio”

IV. FUNCTIONS OF ARES Provide communications for public service events: Bike rides, walkathons, marathons.

V. EXAMPLES OF ARES OPERATIONS Hurricanes: Charley, Katrina, and Sandy. Floods: Flood of 1993 in the midwest. Tornadoes: Past and recent. Marathons: Boston and NYC Marathons Walkathons: MS Walks in many places Bikeathons: MS Citrus Bike Tour SKYWARN: When severe weather occurs.

QUESTIONS??

Web: http://www.kt4wx.org CONTACT INFORMATON: Darrell Davis KT4WX 6350 Mills Road Fort Meade, FL 33841-9584 Email: kt4wx@arrl.net Phone: (863) 245-9923 Web: http://www.kt4wx.org