ARES and RACES: How Amateur Emergency Communications Work

When a storm takes down the power, the cell towers and the internet at the same moment, amateur radio is often the first working link between a shelter, a hospital and the people who coordinate help. Two names come up again and again when volunteers organise for that day: ARES and RACES. They sound alike, many operators belong to both, and yet they are different programs with different sponsors, different rules and different jobs. This guide explains what each one is, how they differ, how to join, which training is worth doing and how to behave when a call-out finally arrives. It is written for the newly licensed operator who wants to be useful, and for the experienced one who has never been sure which acronym covers what.

What ARES Is

ARES stands for Amateur Radio Emergency Service. It is a program of the American Radio Relay League, and it organises licensed amateurs who volunteer their stations and their time to provide communications when normal systems fail. The ARRL page on ARES describes the program, and the encyclopedia entry gives the background. The key idea is that ARES is a volunteer organisation of hams, not a government agency. The members decide, together with the agencies they serve, what they can offer and how they will respond.

ARES is built in layers that follow the geography. A local group is led by an Emergency Coordinator, often called an EC. Several local groups form a district, and a section has its own coordinator who liaises with the League and with state officials. The titles vary a little from place to place, but the principle is the same: local people who know their roads, their hospitals and their repeaters organise the response, and the structure above them passes information and requests along. Members register with their local coordinator, state which equipment and skills they have and agree to take part in drills.

The agencies that ARES groups support are called served agencies. They commonly include the Red Cross and other relief organisations, local emergency management offices, hospitals and the weather service’s storm-spotter programs. An agreement between the group and the agency says what the volunteers will do, which usually means providing message handling, shelter communications, backup links between facilities and situation reports. A good ARES group does not show up and take over. It asks what the agency needs, delivers exactly that and goes home when the job is done.

What RACES Is

RACES stands for Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service. Unlike ARES, it is not just a club program. RACES is a defined part of the Amateur Radio Service in the United States, written into the FCC’s Part 97 rules, and it is tied to civil defence and emergency management organisations. The relevant rule is Section 97.407, available in the electronic Code of Federal Regulations, and the overview article summarises its history. Read the current text of the rule before you rely on any summary, because rules are amended from time to time.

The essential features are these. A RACES station is licensed as an amateur station, but it can operate as a RACES station only when it is enrolled under the authority of a civil defence agency, and the operator must be registered with that agency. RACES operation is carried out on behalf of the government body, for civil defence purposes, and it may be limited to times when the agency has activated the service. The rules also define what kind of communications are appropriate for that service. Because RACES is organised by the agency, its members follow the agency’s chain of command and procedures rather than those of a volunteer club.

The reason this exists is historical. The service was created in an era of civil defence planning, so that licensed amateurs could keep operating, in an organised and officially recognised way, during a declared emergency. Today it is mostly a registration and training framework through which a county or state emergency management office can call on trained volunteers and be sure they are covered by the right rules.

ARES and RACES Compared

The two programs complement one another. ARES is easy to join and focused on community-level readiness. RACES is a formal arrangement with a government agency. Many people take part in both, and some groups combine the two so that the same volunteers can serve under either name depending on who has asked for help. The table sets out the main differences.

Which One Should You Join

If you are new, start with the local ARES group. It is the easier door to open, the volunteers will teach you the practical skills and the drills are regular. Ask the coordinator whether the group also has a RACES arrangement with the county. If it does, you can usually register for both, and you will learn which rules apply under which name. If you prefer to work directly with the government agency, contact the emergency management office and ask whether they run a RACES unit and what is required to enrol.

Outside the United States the names differ, but the pattern is similar. Many countries have an emergency communications organisation run by the national amateur society, and some have a formal arrangement with civil protection authorities. If you live elsewhere, look for the equivalent group in your country and ask how it is organised.

How to Join and Get Ready

Joining is simple, and most of the work is preparation. You need an amateur license, a radio you know how to use and the willingness to turn up for drills. The steps below are a sensible order.

1. Find your local group through the League’s section pages or the county emergency management office.
2. Contact the coordinator, introduce yourself and say what equipment and skills you have.
3. Attend a meeting or a net before you commit, so you see how the group operates.
4. Complete the training the group asks for, which often includes basic incident management courses from the federal emergency agency, taken online.
5. Register formally, and keep your contact details and equipment list up to date.
6. Take part in drills and simulated emergency tests, and join the regular training nets.

The incident management courses are worth taking even if the group does not require them. They teach the vocabulary of the command system that served agencies use, such as incident commander, resource request and situation report. When you can speak the same language as the person you are helping, the first hour of a call-out goes much more smoothly. The League also offers its own emergency communications courses, which cover message formats, net procedures and the role of the volunteer.

Skills and Equipment That Matter

The best emergency operator is not the one with the biggest antenna. It is the one who can send an accurate message, stay calm, follow instructions and keep the station running for many hours. Practise the following until they are automatic.

• Net discipline. Listen before you speak, use the net control station’s instructions and keep transmissions short. Our guide to running a net shows how the control station thinks, which helps you to be a better participant.
• Message handling. Written messages must be copied exactly and delivered without change. Practise with a formal message form so that names, numbers and addresses are always correct.
• Plain language. In an emergency, use ordinary words and tactical call signs, not slang or codes that the served agency does not know.
• Digital messaging. Email over radio is a common tool for longer messages, and the article on Winlink gateways and modes explains how it works.
• Power. Be able to run for a day or more without mains power. Our comparison of battery options for portable operation helps you size a supply.
• A ready kit. Keep a bag packed with radio, antenna, cables, a log, water and food. The go-kit build guide covers what to include.

Handheld and Repeater Basics

Many of the first jobs in a local emergency use a simple handheld radio on a repeater or on a simplex channel, so know your radio thoroughly. Be able to program frequencies, set the offset and the tone, and switch between channels without looking at the manual. Carry a spare battery and a simple antenna, and know where the nearest repeater with battery backup is located. Repeaters are the backbone of local response, and a station that cannot reach one can be left isolated.

What Happens During a Call-Out

A call-out usually starts with a message from the coordinator or from the served agency, asking volunteers to report to a location or to monitor a net. Respond quickly, but do not self-deploy to a disaster area. Responders who arrive without being asked can become a burden on the people they intend to help. Check in on the designated net, say whether you are available, give your location and equipment, and wait for an assignment.

When you reach your post, find out who your contact is, what they need and how often to report. Keep a log of every message with the time, the sender and the recipient. Take regular breaks, eat, drink water and hand over to a relief operator before you are tired, because mistakes grow with fatigue. At the end of the activation, return equipment, complete the log and take part in the debrief. The lessons learned in the debrief often make the next response better.

Safety and Personal Preparation

Your family and home come first. An operator who is worried about relatives cannot concentrate on the radio, so make a household plan before you volunteer. Follow the safety instructions of the agency and never enter an area that officials have closed. Pay attention to antenna safety, particularly near power lines, and to the exposure limits that apply to your station. The aim is to help without becoming part of the problem.

Common Mistakes

• Treating the call-out as an adventure. The job is communications, not rescue. Do what the agency asks and no more.
• Skipping the drills. A good station that has never been tested often fails on the first real day. Regular practice finds the loose connector and the dead battery.
• Using Q-codes and slang with agencies. Served agencies do not speak ham. Use plain language.
• Not knowing the rules. Understand which program you are serving under and what that means for your station. Read Section 97.407 if you take part in RACES.
• Running out of power. Plan for the length of the activation, not for the first hour.
• Ignoring fatigue. A tired operator makes copying errors, and in a health and welfare message a wrong digit matters.

The Bottom Line

ARES and RACES are two ways of organising the same generous idea: licensed amateurs who train in advance so that they can help when other communications fail. ARES is the volunteer program of the national amateur society, built around local coordinators and served agencies. RACES is a formal arrangement defined in the FCC rules and tied to government emergency management. You can take part in both. Start with your local group, take the basic incident management training, practise net procedures and message handling, keep a power-independent kit ready and join the drills. When the day comes, report as asked, follow the chain of command, log everything and look after yourself so that you can keep going. The skills you build in the drills are the same ones that make you a better operator every day.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between ARES and RACES?

ARES is a volunteer program of the national amateur radio league, organised by local coordinators. RACES is a service defined in the FCC rules and run under the authority of a civil defence or emergency management agency.

Can I belong to both ARES and RACES?

Yes. Many operators do, and some groups combine them. You register with the local coordinator for ARES and with the emergency management agency for RACES, and you follow the rules of whichever program is activated.

Do I need a license to join?

Yes, you need an amateur radio license, because both programs rely on the Amateur Radio Service. Some groups also welcome unlicensed helpers for support tasks, but they cannot operate a station.

What training should I take first?

Start with the introductory incident management courses that your group recommends, and practise net procedures and message handling. The coordinator can tell you which courses served agencies expect.

Should I go to a disaster area on my own?

No. Wait for a request from the coordinator or the served agency. Self-deploying can create extra demands on officials and can put you at risk.

Which frequencies are used in an emergency?

Groups agree their own repeaters, simplex channels and HF nets in advance and publish them to members. Learn your group’s plan and keep a printed copy in your kit.