DC ARES NE

Who Does ARES Serve?

One of the premier justifications for continued access to the Amateur Radio spectrum is public service. A major part of Amateur Radio's public service and emergency service activities is conducted in the context of the ARRL's formal agreements with the emergency management, emergency service and public service communities.  Let's take a brief look at the following agencies, and-- from the Amateur Radio operator's perspective -- our "method of operation" under each of our national-level formal agreements, a.k.a. Memoranda of Understanding (MOU).

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Douglas County, NE Emergency Management

Modern approaches to emergency management and response involve multidimensional efforts to reduce our vulnerability to hazards; to diminish the impact of disasters; and to prepare for, respond to, and recover from those that occur.

National Weather Service, Valley, NE

Amateur Radio is almost synonymous with the Skywarn program, the "eyes and ears" of the National Weather Service during severe weather emergencies. Hams comprise the majority of Skywarn volunteers, who report "ground truths" to local NWS offices, supplementing their sophisticated weather monitoring equipment. ARRL has had an agreement with the National Weather Service, effecting this support, since 1986.

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Red Cross

ARRL and the American Red Cross have had cooperative agreements since 1940. There have been a few changes over the years in the statement.  For example, the renewed statement of March 2010 was updated editorially in November 2010 to change the ARRL Relationship Manager and Operational Contact information (Attachment A) and deleted several extraneous words from page 5. This MOU was renewed in April 2021. One change in the renewed MOU is to Attachment C, the local MOU template. The signatory to the local MOU for the ARRL has been changed to the Section Manager or Section Emergency Coordinator, and a local point of contact field (similar to the relationship manager in the national MOU) has been added.

Chartered by Congress in 1905, the Red Cross provides relief to victims displaced by disaster, from the onset of disaster conditions to the recovery phase. Their national headquarters is located in Washington, but most of the action occurs at the state and local chapter levels, where the rubber meets the road. Local ARES Emergency Coordinators work closely with their counterparts in the chapter offices. Look at just about any summary of a disaster event, and you'll find reports of amateurs out on missions with Red Cross personnel, and providing communications for shelter managers.

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Salvation Army & SATERN

The Salvation Army, which for decades has provided services to victims of disasters. Its national headquarters is located in Alexandria, Virginia, and is organized in four territories across the U.S., each having its own headquarters and corporate structure. Nine to 11 administrative centers report to each territorial office. 

The Salvation Army is particularly active in the recovery stage of disasters, and has communications needs, often filled by ARRL volunteers. ARRL staff meets with Salvation Army representatives each year at the annual NVOAD meeting in Washington. NVOAD is the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster, of which ARRL is a member-organization. The ARRL and the Salvation Army revised its MOU in 2018.