Amateur radio emergency communications
Photograph by blueoxenon Flickr.
Many government Emergency Operations Centers, Red Cross Chapters and National Weather Service facilities have permanent Amateur Radio stations installed. Radio clubs independent of the ARRL and ARES also participate in emergency communications activities in some areas, and some non-radio organizations have their own amateur arm. The National Weather Service Amateur radio emergency communications Skywarn weather-spotter program has a strong amateur radio contingent.
ARES and RACES involvement within the same area are usually intertwined, with many governments requiring membership and service in that locale s ARES organization as well. As in the United States, Radio Amatures of Canada has memoranda of understanding with numerous agencies expected to receive services, including the Canadian Red Cross and Salvation Army. In India, Vigyan Prasar (a science promotion body under the Indian Department of Science and Technology) coordinates simulated disaster communication exercises and also organizes trainingto help people get a ham radio license in areas which are vulnerable to natural calamities. In Ireland (26 counties), the Amateur Radio Emergency Network (AREN), co-ordinates emergency communications activities on behalf of the Irish Radio Transmitters Society (IRTS).
More than a thousand ham operators from all over the U.S. The Office of Disaster Preparedness Management (ODPM) is actively involved in amateur radio and maintains an active amateur radio station and five repeaters. In the United Kingdom Radio Amateurs Emergency Network (RAYNET) provides the organizational backbone of their amateur radio emergency communications groups.
In times of crisis and natural disasters, amateur radio is often used as a means of emergency communication when wireline, cell phones and other conventional means of communications fail. Unlike commercial systems, Amateur radio is not as dependent on terrestrial facilities that can fail. RACES requires registration with a local civil defense organization, to allow continued operation under Part 97.407 of the FCC regulations in the event the Amateur Service is ever shut down by presidential order.
In most states, WICEN is organized by a committee of the WIA state organization, but in New South Wales and Victoria, WICEN is separately incorporated. amateur radio operators was during Hurricane Katrina which first made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane went through Miami, Florida on August 25, 2005, eventually strengthening to Category 5.
These major organizations include: The Global Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Conference (GAREC) is held in a new location yearly by the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU), hosting discussion and coordination of large-scale and cross-border amateur radio emergency response.]] In Australia WICEN (pronounced wye-sen ), the Wireless Institute Civil Emergency Network is the officially recognized group that manages Amateur Radio operators to provide emergency communications. In NSW, WICEN is an accredited squad of the NSW Volunteer Rescue Association. In Canada, Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) is sponsored by the Radio Amateurs of Canada.
It is dispersed throughout a community without choke points such as cellular telephone sites that can be overloaded. Amateur radio operators are experienced in improvising antennas and power sources and most equipment today can be powered by an automobile battery. AREN membership is, however, open to all amateur radio operators whether members of IRTS or not. The Dutch Amateur Radio Emergency Service (DARES) was founded in 2003 as a result of the World Radio Conference 2003, where was decided that licenced Dutch radio amateurs were allowed to offer their services to third-parties in an emergency situation.
Recently, Amateur Radio operators in the People s Republic of China provided emergency communications after the 2008 Sichuan earthquake and U.S. Often other less formal networks of volunteer radio operators are also used and organized by the local emergency response agencies in conjunction with local ham radio operators.
converged on the Gulf Coast in an effort to provide emergency communications assistance. WICEN has been activated for various emergencies, notably in recent years the Black Saturday bushfires on 7 February 2009 in Victoria.
They won the New Zealand National Search and Rescue award in 2001 for their long commitment to Search and Rescue in NZ. In Trinidad and Tobago, the Emergency Amateur Radio Service (EARS) is a non profit organization registration number E 1772{95} and is part of the Trinidad and Tobago Amateur Radio League TTARL. DARES is recognized by the State Department of The Netherlands and supported by the two largest national radio amateur organisations: VERON and VRZA. DARES consists of a group of radio amateurs and shortwave listeners who offer their knowledge and radio equipment during a disaster or major incident.
It is organised by state and region, with autonomous bodies in each state linked to that jurisdiction s disaster plan. The Department of Defense sponsors the Military Affiliate Radio System (MARS) program which utilizes Amateur Radio operators for emergency communication using military radio frequencies.
It was formed in 1953 in the aftermath of the North Sea flood of 1953. In the United States, there are two major methods of organizing amateur radio emergency communications: the Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES), an organization of amateur operators sponsored by the American Radio Relay League (ARRL); and the Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES), a radio service regulated by the Federal Communications Commission. Subsequent Congressional hearings highlighted the Amateur Radio response as one of the few examples of what went right in the disaster relief effort. While every ham has some emergency communications capability, those who are particularly interested in the public service aspects of the hobby usually affiliate with an organized group for disaster specific training, quick mobilization and to practice emergency skills.
Amateur radio operators can use hundreds of frequencies and can quickly establish networks tying disparate agencies together to enhance interoperability. Recent examples include the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center in Manhattan in 2001, the 2003 North America blackout and Hurricane Katrina in September 2005, where amateur radio was used to coordinate disaster relief activities when other systems failed. On September 2, 2004, ham radio was used to inform weather forecasters with information on Hurricane Frances live from the Bahamas. hams did similar work following Hurricane Ike. The largest disaster response by U.S.
Annual Field Days are held in many countries to practice these emergency improvisational skills. They coordinate emergency communications activities within its membership and others who wish to volunteer with EARS in times of emergency.
The organisation is built upon the 25 safety regions defined by Dutch authorities. DARES has been represented at the Global Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Conference (GAREC) since 2005. In New Zealand the New Zealand Association of Radio Transmitters provides the AREC - Amateur Radio Emergency Communications (formerly Amateur Radio Emergency Corps) in the role.
