In nearly all disasters, there is a fairly regular progression of events that occur. These are shown in the Table 2. In many cases, however, there may be little or no time for warning and mitigation. Any member of ARES (or non-member in a rare emergency time of need), may activate the Section ARES, in cases of extreme need. However, the decision to activate the Georgia Section Amateur Radio Emergency Service should be made, whenever possible, by an Emergency Coordinator, District Emergency Coordinator or Section Emergency Coordinator, as appropriate.
| Phase | When | Activities |
| Preparedness | Before a disaster occurs | Write & test plans; develop resource lists; install equipment; train staff |
| Warning | As soon as it becomes evident a disaster will or has occurred | Assess likelihood will be called upon to help; put team members on alert to make early preparations for activation |
| Mitigation | As time permits, before the disaster occurs, e.g. evacuation period before a hurricane | If time allows, take action to reduce potential impact of impending disaster; install & test equipment; develop staffing lists; identify assistance needs |
| Operational | Once disaster occurs; note this could actually be prior to actual damage or loss of life, such as shelter openings prior to a hurricane | Satisfy needs of served agencies;teams should keep themselves safe; |
| Recovery | Event has passed and cleanup and restoration has begun | Continue to satisfy needs of served agencies; develop longer term staffing plans; implement recovery communications systems |
| Stand-down | Conventional communication facilities resume normal operation and served agencies no longer require assistance | Discharge staff as stations are secured or need no longer exists; close nets; write after action reports |
Table 2. Disaster Time Line
Any ARES member who for any reason suspects that a communications emergency exists or may soon exist (e.g. after having been put on alert) should monitor the assigned ARES net frequency for activity.
If local telephone service is available, the District Emergency Coordinator assigned to GEMA or their assistant(s) should be called. They should be notified of the emergency as to type, location, and any GEMA needs.
In an emergency in which amateur radio might serve the community, amateur radio operators may be alerted through ARES by any city, federal or state agency, the Red Cross, the Civil Preparedness Agency, or any similar official notifying the GEMA District Emergency Coordinator for ARES or their assistant(s).
Note: In all cases, the Georgia Emergency Management Agency, as an office of the Governor of the State of Georgia, has priority over all other agencies in the activation of ARES in support in a declared emergency.
The Georgia Emergency Management Agency maintains a State Operations Center at its headquarters in Atlanta. As a support organization under the Georgia Emergency Operations Plan, ESF #2 (Communications) GEMA will alert the ARES when its current activation level changes and SOC staffing may or will be necessary.
GEMA maintains three activation levels:
| Level 3 (Red) | Full Scale Activation | All Primary and Alternate Emergency Coordinators, GEMA Staff and local EMA directors will be notified of a full-scale activation. The necessary State Agency Coordinators will also be notified to report to and staff the SOC. All GEMA SOC positions will be staffed. |
| Level 2(Yellow) | Partial Activation | All Primary and Alternate Emergency Coordinators, GEMA staff, and local EMA Director's will be notified of a Partial Activation. The necessary State Agency Coordinators and necessary GEMA Staff will be notified to report to and staff the SOC. |
| Level 3 (Green) | Normal Activities | GEMA is operating under normal day-to-day operations. The GEMA communications center is monitoring all events and will be reporting them to the appropriate personnel. |
Table 3. GEMA Activation Levels