American
Radio Relay League
Amateur Radio Emergency Service
Chaves
County, New Mexico
Public service communication has been
a traditional responsibility of the Amateur Radio Service since 1913. In
today's Amateur Radio, disaster work is a highly organized and worthwhile part
of day-to-day operation, implemented principally through the Amateur Radio
Emergency Service (ARES) and the National Traffic System
(NTS), both sponsored by ARRL. The Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service
(RACES), independent nets and other amateur public service groups are also a
part of ARRL-recognized Amateur Radio public service efforts.
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 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.
There are four levels of ARES
organization -- national, section, district and local (The district and local
levels are combined in most New Mexico districts).
National emergency coordination at
ARRL Headquarters is under the supervision of the ARRL Field and Educational
Services Manager, who is responsible for maintaining contact with federal
government and other national officials concerned with amateur emergency
communications potential, and in general with carrying out the League's
policies regarding emergency communications.
At the section level (New Mexico
is a section), the Section Emergency Coordinator is appointed by the Section
Manager and works under his/her supervision. The SM delegates to the SEC the
administration of the section emergency plan and the authority to appoint
District Emergency Coordinators (DEC).
It is at the local level where
most of the real emergency organizing gets accomplished, because this is the
level at which most emergencies occur and the level at which ARES leaders make
direct contact with the ARES member-volunteers and with officials of the
agencies to be served. The local Emergency Coordinator (EC) is therefore the key contact in the
ARES. Depending on how the SEC has set
up the section for administrative purposes, the EC may have jurisdiction over a
small community or a large city, an entire county or even a group of counties.
Whatever jurisdiction is assigned, the EC is in charge of all ARES activities
in his area, not just one interest group, one agency, one club or one frequency
band.
In Chaves County, as in most of
New Mexico, the DEC is also the EC.