What is ARES/RACES

This website provides information about the Mobile County, AL ARES/RACES organization.

ARES stands for Amateur Radio Emergency Service and is a program of the American Radio Relay League (ARRL). 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.

For more information please see: https://www.arrl.org/ares

RACES stands for "Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service," a protocol created by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC Part 97, Section 407). Many government agencies across the country train their Auxiliary Communications Service (ACS) volunteers using the RACES protocol. The volunteers serve their respective jurisdictions pursuant to guidelines and mandates established by local emergency management officials.

For more information, please see: https://www.usraces.org/

The team works in concert with Mobile County Emergency Management Agency and other disaster preparedness/response organizations. We provide repeatable and reliable communications for these organizations to assist them in the performance of their missions.

We also provide assistance via the NWS Skywarn program when severe weather threatens. Please see https://www.weather.gov/skywarn/ for more information.

Mobile County Emergency Management Agency coordinates preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation efforts across Mobile County. MCEMA works with municipalities, public safety agencies, volunteer organizations, state and federal partners, and community stakeholders to support a coordinated emergency management system.

Mobile County ARES/RACES supports MCEMA by providing auxiliary and backup communications during emergencies, disasters, planned events, and times when traditional communication systems may be limited or unavailable.

Through this partnership, MCEMA and ARES/RACES strengthen Mobile County’s ability to maintain situational awareness, support emergency operations, and assist partner agencies during incidents that affect our communities.

MCEMA is located at the Mobile County Emergency Operations Center, 7350 Zeigler Boulevard, Mobile, Alabama.

For more information, visit:https://mobilecountyema.gov/

The American Radio Relay League was founded in 1914 by Hiram Percy Maxim as a gathering point for radio amateurs in the United States. Its Five Pillars are: Public Service, Advocacy, Education, Technology, and Membership.

Public Service is at the heart of ARRL and is manifested in ARES.

For more information on ARRL, please see https://www.arrl.org/

Skywarn is a volunteer weather spotter program of the National Weather Service (NWS).

NWS provides training for volunteers and receives their reports to help formulate a more complete picture of severe weather events.

For more information, please see https://www.weather.gov/skywarn/

To be a part of the ARES/RACES team, you must be a current Amateur Radio licensee. ARES is a program sponsored by ARRL, but you do not have to be an ARRL member to join. In fact, you do not have to be a member of any amateur radio organization. Membership relies solely on your Amateur Radio License.

The ability to operate your station on emergency power is desirable, but not required. This can be via whole home generator, portable generator, or battery power.

If you are interested in joining, please complete the ARES Registration form ARES Registration form

When completed, please email it to n4tkh@arrl.net