ARES RACES AuxComm
History Formed in 1935 by the American Radio Relay League to formalize what Amateur radio operators were already doing Created by law in 1952 to supplement federal communications during and emergency situation of national emergency (civil defense) Developed in 2009 with the assistance of amateur radio subject matter experts to educate as many amateur radio entities on how to work together with public safety personnel
Applicable FCC Rules No specific rules beyond 47 CFR Part 97 that cover the operations of any amateur radio station RACES is specifically defined in 47 CFR Part 97 section 407 including stations that can be communicated with, relevant frequencies, and drill specifications as amended. No specific rules beyond 47 CFR Part 97 that cover the operations of any amateur radio station
Eligibility for Membership Membership in ARES is open to any FCC licensed individual. Membership in RACES is subject to the requirement's of the civil defense organization. Membership in AuxComm is not defined but generally subject to the rules of the aligned Emergency Management organization and their support needs.
Organization RES is organized on a Section (State or smaller) level, with a Section Emergency Coordinator at the top and Emergency Coordinators at the local levels. Additional support may or may not be included. There is currently no state level (Virginia) RACES coordination. Each jurisdiction is responsible for their RACES teams. AuxComm is organized along the same levels as the Comm roles - thus Comm-T, Comm-C, Comm-L. Additional roles may be defined as required by the Comm-L.
Training While no formal training is generally required, most jurisdictions require basic ICS training (700, 800, 100, 200). Additional jurisdictional specific training may also be required. RACES has no formal training requirements, but the general ICS trainings and other jurisdictional trainings may be required. AuxComm has a series of mandatory trainings in addition to the Task Book, including the basic FEMA ICS trainings which are mandatory to begin AuxComm training. Further additional communication training on gear beyond Amateur Radio may also be required by jurisdiction.
Interoperability No restrictions on interoperability beyond working stations in the FCC licensed amateur radio frequencies. Stations may only contact RACES or Civil Defense stations or pre-arranged, authorized DOD stations under strict rules of conduct. AuxComm does not provide additional frequencies, but may require operators to be able to use equipment that may permit additional bands/frequency access.
Prince William County ARES Specifics All ARES members are expected to maintain their skills. All members must complete the basic ICS courses within one year of joining the Cadre and are expected to complete supplemental training within two years as available. All ARES members are expected to attend no less than three training sessions per year. RACES is managed by Prince William County (MOU). All ARES members are automatically registered as members of RACES. It is the EC's responsibility to submit the list of active members to the Office of Emergency Management. AuxComm is not currently an active program in Prince William County.