Radio
Amateur
Civil
Emergency
Service

Joint sponored and administered by the FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY and the FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION.

Communication: The Key To Survival.

Reliable communication is essential to emergency response. RACES can make the difference between life and death. It can be a vital link in this life-saving emergency communication network.
  

What is RACES? 
RACES networks
When is RACES needed?
RACES in the Wiregrass
 
 

What is RACES?

Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES) provides for amateur radio operation for emergency communications purposes only, during periods of local, regional, or national emergencies.
 

RACES is an essential link to help warn people about disasters. 

RACES networks

Every RACES station is a part of one or more emergency communications networks. These networks provide vital communication for:
  "All communications in the Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service must be specifically authorized by the civil defense organization for the area served."
Federal Communications Commission
 

 

RACES operators are indispensable for emergency communications. Amateur radio operators (FCC-licensed) can help save lives.



 
 

 When is RACES needed?

The RACES organization of amateur radio operators is vital during such emergencies as: Frequently, normal communication systems sustain damage during these types of emergencies. It is then that RACES operators are invaluable to emergency managers.

During national emergencies, RACES operators are the only amateur radio operators permitted on the air. In an emergency, RACES operators are assigned specific frequencies within authorized frequency bands as directed by emergency management officials.

FEMA's State and Local Direction and Control Program provides support to state and local governments and Emergency Broadcast System stations through the following elements:
 

RACES in Mississippi

For more information on RACES in your county, contact:

(Under Construction)

NOTE: This page is an HTML formatted copy of the Federal Emergency Management Agency's pamphlet L-136/July 1983, and is provided "as is" for informational purposes only. No claim is made as to the accuracy or validity of any of the information within.

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