is to implement Part 97.1 of the FCC regulations, and Federal and international treaty law applying to Amateur Radio in the Alaska Section of ARRL.
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:
Recognition and enhancement of the value of the amateur service to the public as a voluntary non-commercial communication service, particularly with respect to providing emergency communications...[Emphasis supplied]
This plan provides formal guidelines for the Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) in the Alaska Section. It describes an organization within which Local and District ARES units may function with maximum effectiveness and minimum confusion. It is intended to promote uniform procedures among local, District and Section ARES units, their officials and their operators. The Plan should effectively address the amateur radio communications infrastructure necessary to support emergency or disaster communications needs both within the Alaska Section (primarily between LEPD districts), as well as interface with outside areas such as Western Canada, the west coast of the United States, and Hawaii.
These guidelines are not intended as rigid regulations. The senior ARES official in charge may interpret and adapt the plan as reasonably necessary for efficient management of the situation.
The ARES organization has been assigned to parallel the state's Local Emergency Planning District (LEPD) structure. Each of these Districts will have its own particular emergency communications needs, and as such, should be developed by the amateur leadership within each district. The State LEPD map can be found at: http://www.ak.prepared.com/serc/lepd1.htm. The Section organization is still evolving and subject to change.