ARRL
American Radio Relay League
Developed by Ken Bailey, K1FUG
ARRL Emergency Preparedness Assistant
By the year 1914, there were thousands of
Amateur Radio operators - hams - in the
United States. Hiram Percy Maxim, a
leading Hartford, Connecticut, inventor
and industrialist saw the need for an
organization to band together this fledgling
group of radio experimenters. In May 1914
he founded the American Radio Relay
League (ARRL) to meet that need
ARRL
Founded in 1914, The American Radio Relay League is
the national association for Amateur Radio in the USA.
Today, with more than 156,000 members, ARRL is the
largest organization of radio amateurs in the United
States.
The ARRL Board of Directors has adopted the following statement
of the Core Purpose of the ARRL
To promote and advance the art, science and enjoyment of
Amateur Radio.
The Five Pillars
 Emergency Communications
 Training
 Radio Clubs
 Instructors and Examiners
 ARRL Field Organization
 Spectrum Defense
 Interference Resolution
 Wireless Industry Cooperation
 FCC Rules Enforcement
 International Amateur Radio Union
 Books, Videos and CDs
 Online Training
 Recruitment, Mentoring and Licensing
 Ham Radio News
 Youth Activities
 Advancing the Radio Art
 Experimentation and Education
 Digital Communications
 The ARRL Laboratory
– Technical Information Service
– Trusted Product Reviews
– Radio Spectrum and RFI/EMC Engineering
 QST Magazine
 Operating Awards and Contests
 Technical and Regulatory Information
 Equipment Insurance
 Find it all Online!
www.arrl.org
Purpose of Amateur Radio
In section 97.1 of its rules the Federal
Communication Commission describes the
basis and purpose of the Amateur Radio
Service. It consists of five principles:
97.1 (a)
Recognition and enhancement of the value
of the amateur service to the public as a
voluntary noncommercial communications
service, particularly with respect to
providing emergency communications.
97.1 (b)
Continuation and extension of the amateur’s
proven ability to contribute to the
advancement of the radio art.
97.1 (c)
Encouragement and improvement of the
amateur service through rules which
provide for the advancing skills in both the
communications and technical phases of
the art.
97.1 (d)
Expansion of the existing reservoir within the
amateur radio service of trained operators,
technicians and electronic experts.
97.1 (e)
Continuation and extension of the amateur’s
unique ability to enhance international
goodwill.
Throughout our history, we amateurs
have established a reputation for public
service communications
When called upon we fulfill one of the
most important purposes of amateur
radio
97.1 (a)
Recognition and enhancement of the value
of the amateur service to the public as a
voluntary noncommercial communications
service, particularly with respect to
providing emergency communications.
ARES®
ARES® (Amateur Radio Emergency
Service®) is a program of the ARRL
Established in 1935
ARES” and “Amateur Radio Emergency Service” are registered servicemarks of the American Radio
Relay League, Incorporated and are used by permission.
ARES
• Consists of about 35,000 licensed amateurs
• Voluntarily registered their qualifications and
equipment for communications duty in the
public service when disaster strikes
Who is eligible to join ARES
• Every licensed amateur, regardless of membership in
ARRL or any other local or national organization, is
eligible to apply for membership in ARES.
• Willingness to serve
• Training may be required or desired to participate fully
in ARES.
What does ARES do?
• Provides supplemental, backup communications to
public service and disaster relief agencies when
normal means of communications are overloaded
or unavailable
• Provides communications for planned public
service events throughout the year
ARES has Deployed For A Variety Of Emergencies And Disasters
Ice Storms In Southwest December 2000
Tornado In Alabama December 2000
Avalanche In Alaska March 2000
Fires In Los Alamos, New Mexico May 2000
Hurricane Floyd September 1999
Hurricanes Katrina And Rita 2005
Tsunami Indian Ocean December 2004
Hurricanes Charlie, Frances, Ivan, Jeanne In Florida 2004
Severe Weather In Virginia May 2004
Tornadoes In Illinois April 2004
Tornadoes In Oklahoma And Kansas May 1999
Colombian Earthquake January 1999
Tornadoes In Arkansas And Tennessee January 1999
Hurricane Mitch In Central America November 1998
Flooding In Texas October 1998
Amtrak Train Accident In Mississippi April 2004
Earthquake In Central California December 2003
Hurricane Isabel September 2003
Northeast Blackout August 2003
Midwest Tornadoes May 2003
Hurricane Georges September 1998
Tornadoes In Florida February 1998
"500-year Flood," Grand Forks, N.D./ East Grand
Forks, Minn. April 1997
Western U.S. Floods January 1997
Shuttle Columbia Recovery Effort February 2003
Wildfires In Colorado June 2002
Tornado In Maryland April 2002
Flooding In Kentucky March 2002
September 11th Terrorist Attacks 2001
Hurricane Fran September 1996
TWA Plane Crash July 1996
Oklahoma City Bombing April 1995
Flooding In Texas / Louisiana (Storm Allison) June 2001
Earthquake In India January 2001
Earthquake In El Salvador January 2001
The ARES Program
Four levels of the ARES Program
• National
• Section
• District
• Local
National Level
• National emergency coordination at ARRL
Headquarters is under the supervision of the
ARRL Emergency Preparedness Manager.
.
ARRL Emergency Preparedness Manager
• Responsible for advising all ARES officials on disaster
communications issues, maintaining contact with federal
government and other national officials concerned with
amateur emergency communications potential, and in
general with carrying out the ARRL’s policies regarding
emergency communications
Memorandum of Understanding
• ARES in the U.S. has Memorandums of Understanding with
organizations including the American Red Cross, National Weather
Service, Department of Homeland Security, Citizen Corps,
Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials-International,
National Communications System, and the Salvation Army.
• Often these memorandums illustrate a common and united sense of
purpose between ARES and another organization. However,
Memorandums of Understanding with the American Red Cross, the
National Weather Service, the Salvation Army and others lay out the
general framework for cooperation and coordination between
agencies which we as amateurs may provide communication
services in times of emergency.
Section Level (State)
Section Manager (SM)
• Elected by section membership
• Appoints the Section Emergency coordinator (SEC) and
other top ARES leadership
Section Level
Section Emergency Coordinator (SEC)
• Works under the SM’s supervision
• Administers the section emergency plan and
recommends to the SM appointments to District
Emergency Coordinators (DEC) and Emergency
Coordinators (EC)
District Level
District Emergency Coordinator (DEC)
(Optional position for larger sections)
• Appointed by the SM upon recommendation of the
SEC
• Coordinate the activities of the local ECs in the district
Local Level (County)
• The local level is where most emergencies occur
• The local level where most of the real emergency
organizing gets accomplished
• The local level is where ARES leaders make direct
contact with the ARES members/volunteers and with
officials of the agencies to be served
Local Level (County)
• At the local level, the key ARES leader is the
Emergency Coordinator (EC)
• The EC is appointed by the SM, usually on the
recommendation of the SEC
• The EC is responsible for organizing, coordinating
and executing ARES activities in their area
Local Level (County)
The EC may appoint Assistant Emergency Coordinators
(AEC)
• AECs provide assistance to the EC in various
areas of expertise
• The EC may have as many AECs as they deem
necessary
Local Level (County)
• The EC and AECs, constitute the local ARES
planning committee and they meet together from time
to time to discuss problems and plan projects to keep
the ARES group active and well-trained.
Membership and Appointment
Requirements for ARES Leaders
SEC, DEC and EC
• Must be a full member of the ARRL
• Must comply with all requirements for the position
set forth by the ARRL, the Section Manager and
the Section Emergency Coordinator
Membership and Appointment
Requirements for ARES Members
ARES members
• Amateur Radio License of any class
• Need not be an ARRL member
• Must be registered with the local ARES
organization
• Must be willing to participate in ARES activities
Activities
•
•
•
•
•
•
Meetings
Training sessions
Drills
Exercises
Public Service events
Actual disasters
The field of emergency response,
including communications support, is
rapidly changing. In the years following
Hurricane Katrina, more
communications systems are becoming
“hardened” and there is more guidance
and structure being given from the
Department of Homeland Security
(DHS) and the Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA)
Training Requirements
“Introduction to Emergency Communications”
EC-001
http://www.arrl.org/courses-training
Basic training that all ARES volunteers need to know
FEMA Training
Two DHS/FEMA online training courses integrated in
the EC-001 course curriculum.
IS-100.b Introduction to Incident Command
IS -700.a National Incident Management system
These are free mini-courses you can take on line at
http://training.fema.gov/IS/NIMS.asp
Advanced Training
“Public Service and Emergency Communications
Management for Radio Amateurs”
EC-016
http://www.arrl.org/courses-training
Training for leaders involved with recruiting, training,
coordinating and managing ARES teams
FEMA Course requirements for EC-016
In addition to IS-100.b and IS-700.a
IS-200.b
IS-800.b
IS-240.a
IS-241.a
IS-1
IS-244.a
IS-120.a
IS-130
IS-139
IS-288
How to Join ARES
Contact your EC - Go to the ARES web site for information
on your sections' EC and ARES Program
http://www.arrl.org/sections
• Obtain an ARES registration form or register online
http://www.arrl.org/files/file/Public%20Service/fsd98.pdf
Submit the form to the EC
Register on line with the ARRL
ARRL Ham Aid Program
Ham Aid helps by loaning Amateur Radio equipment kits
to disaster areas where additional resources are needed.
There are several different kits: HF kit, VHF/UHF kit,
handheld transceiver kit, and support kit. The ARRL
Ham Aid Fund is supported by businesses,
manufacturers and individual contributions.
Ham Aid
High Frequency Ham Aid kit
HT Ham Aid kit
About the ARRL
ARRL not only reflects the commitment and enthusiasm
of American hams, but also provides leadership as the
voice of Amateur Radio in the USA, whether in
dealings with the Federal Communications
Commission, the World Administrative Radio
Conference, the International Amateur Radio Union, or
with the general public. The ARRL is the primary
source of information about what is going on in the
ham radio world. It provides books, news, support and
information for individuals and clubs, special operating
events, all sorts of continuing education classes and
other benefits for its members. Being a member of the
ARRL is important for hams! The ARRL is devoted
entirely to Amateur Radio.
Questions