INTRODUCTION

A. General.

1. The Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) consists of licensed amateurs who have voluntarily registered their qualifications and equipment for communications duty in the public service when disaster strikes. Every licensed amateur, regardless of membership in the Amateur Radio Relay League (ARRL), or any other local or national organization, is eligible for membership in the ARES.
   
2. The Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES) is authorized and administered by local, county and state emergency management agencies, and supported by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). RACES is a part of the Amateur Radio Service that provides radio communications for civil-preparedness purposes only, during periods of local, regional or national civil emergencies. These emergencies are not limited to war-related activities, but can include natural disasters such as fires, floods and earthquakes.
   
3. Although RACES and ARES are separate entities, the ARRL advocates dual membership and cooperative efforts between both groups whenever possible for an ARES group whose members are all enrolled in and certified by RACES to operate in an emergency with great flexibility. Amateur radio operators in the State of Oregon are organized in just this way. Using the same operators and the same frequencies, an ARES group also enrolled as RACES can "switch hats" from ARES to RACES and RACES to ARES to meet the requirements of the situation as it develops. For example, during a "non-declared emergency," ARES can operate under ARES, but when an emergency or disaster is officially declared by a state or federal authority, the operation can become RACES with no change in personnel or frequencies.
   
4. Amateurs within Linn County are registered with the Linn County Amateur Radio Emergency Service (LCARES) as both ARES and RACES volunteers. They receive identification cards countersigned by Oregon Emergency Management and by the Linn County Sheriff. LCARES volunteers provide their own equipment and services to operate HF, VHF, UHF and PACKET radios throughout the county.
   

B. LCARES Mission.
The Linn County ARES Mission is to facilitate Linn County Amateur Radio Operators in providing supplemental communications for public service agencies responding to disasters and public events that benefit the community.

C. Purpose.
This manual provides you, a member of LCARES, a reference to access that describes the policies and procedures, organization, and operational guidelines that you should use in training for emergency response and during actual emergencies.