Within the Morehouse Parish Emergency Response Team are five members of Morehouse Parish ARES/RACES.
ARES is the Amateur Radio Emergency Service. RACES is the Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service
Both are volunteer Amateur "Ham" Radio organizations.
Amateur Radio Operators were first licensed under the Radio Act of 1912.
The Federal Radio Commission was created by the Radio Act of 1927.
It was replaced by the Federal Communications Commission under the Radio Act of 1934
§97.1 Basis and purpose.
The rules and regulations in this Part are designed to provide an amateur radio service having a fundamental purpose as expressed in the following principles:
(a) Recognition and enhancement of the value of the amateur service to the public as a voluntary noncommercial communication service, particularly with respect to providing emergency communications.
(b) Continuation and extension of the amateur's proven ability to contribute to the advancement of the radio art.
(c) Encouragement and improvement of the amateur service through rules which provide for advancing skills in both the communications and technical phases of the art.
(d) Expansion of the existing reservoir within the amateur radio service of trained operators, technicians, and electronics experts.
(e) Continuation and extension of the amateur's unique ability to enhance international goodwill.
The Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES)
The Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) consists of licensed amateurs who have voluntarily registered their qualifications and equipment for communications duty in public service when disaster strikes. ARES is a function of the ARRL. Every licensed amateur, regardless of membership in ARRL or any other local or national organization, is eligible for membership in the ARES. The only qualification, other than possession of an Amateur Radio license, is a sincere desire to serve. Because ARES is an amateur service, only amateurs are eligible for membership. The possession of emergency-powered equipment is desirable, but is not a requirement for membership.
Operational standards and practices have been established for ARES by the league during it's many years of service to the Amateur Service. Memorandums of Understanding have been established by the league with many other volunteer organizations and Government organizations including the American Red Cross, the Salvation Army, Fema and more. ARES also has Memorandums of Understanding at State and Local Levels.
Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES)
§97.3 Definitions.
(a) The definitions of terms used in Part 97 are:
(37) RACES (radio amateur civil emergency service). A radio service using amateur stations for civil defense communications during periods of local, regional or national civil emergencies.
The Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES) is a standby FCC radio service provided for in Part 97.407 [1] of the FCC rules and regulations governing amateur radio in the United States.
The concept of a standby Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service to replace the FCC's Amateur Radio Service during wartime was developed in 1952 as result of input from the American Radio Relay League and the Department of the Army's Office of Civil Defense. During World War II, the Amateur Radio Service had been silenced and a new War Emergency Radio Service (WERS) had to be created from scratch. The resulting standby RACES service was designed to provide a smoother transition in the event the President ever needed to silence the regular Amateur Radio Service when invoking the War Powers Act. Ironically, despite four wars involving the United States since 1952, this has never happened.
When so activated, the Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service will consist of those amateur radio operators who have previously registered with State and local governments to provide emergency radio communications for them in times of emergency. Other Amateur Radio operations would be silenced and RACES operations might be restricted to certain frequencies within the Amateur bands.
Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service operations can provide or supplement communications during emergencies where normal communication systems have sustained damage. It may be used in a wide variety of situations, including Natural Disasters; Technological Disasters; Nuclear Accidents; Nuclear Attack; Terrorist Incidents; and Bomb Threats.
In the past, actual RACES station licenses were also issued to civil defense organizations. To prevent abuse of station licenses by officials who weren't licensed amateur radio operators, limitations on the duration of non-emergency operation and stations that might be contacted were incorporated into part 97.407. Such RACES station licenses are no longer issued and any RACES operations would now use licensed amateur radio operators as control operators.
In daily practice, most Amateurs enrolled with their local government for possible RACES operations are also members of the ARRL's Amateur Radio Emergency Service, providing emergency communications on regular Amateur frequencies without the need for an emergency declaration.
