ARRL Virginia Section
ARES
Amateur Radio Emergency Service

RESOURCES

ARES Application Forms

• Amateur Radio Emergency Service Registration Form
• OES Application
• EC or DEC Application

Complete the above forms, as appropriate, and submit them to your local EC or DEC for action. If your area does not have an EC or DEC, submit them to the SEC. A listing of coordinators can be found starting from this link. here.

ARES Report Forms

• Public Service Activity Report
• Monthly DEC report form
• Monthly EC report form

The information needed, in the above forms, can be cut and pasted into an E-mail and sent to the appropriate party each month. The forms do not need to be printed out and mailed unless you prefer that method. Sending all the needed information via electronic methods has been approved by the SEC; prompt monthly reporting is the objective.

• ARRL ARES Emergency Coordinator's Manual ($5)
• VA Section Emergency Net (VEN) Procedures
• ARRL ARES Field Resources Manual
• ARRL Public Service Communications Manual
• ARRL Radiogram Form: Radiogram v1 (2 per page) or Radiogram v2 (printer friendly)
• ARRL Numbered Radiogram Definitions
• ARRL Radiogram Reference
• ARRL Special Events Communications Manual
• ARC Amateur Radio Intake Form (a great form for shelter inquiries)
• Other ARRL forms can be found on this ARRL page
• FCC Part 97

Training is extremely important in emergency communications, regardless of your experience level. Training helps keep you current in your field, and provides a common framework or reference so we are all speaking the same language. Below are two links for emergency training; the ARRL site is more technical and the FEMA site is more management oriented. The nice thing about taking the FEMA courses, is it provides you the same basic skill set and vocabulary as your community emergency manager.

• ARRL Certification and Continuing Education Courses
• FEMA Emergency Management Institute - Independent Study Courses

The following references are products of the Justice Technology Information Network (JUSTNET), a program of the National Institute of Justice. They were written for Public Safety officials and emergency managers who need an understanding of wireless comunications. They are provided as an additional resource not only for you, but for the agencies you support. Other similar reports can be found here.

• Understanding Wireless Communications in Public Safety: A Guidebook to Technology, Issues, Planning, and Management
• State and Local Law Enforcement Wireless Communications and Interoperability: A Quantitative Analysis

If you need some material to show your local county/city emergency manager the emphasis being placed on Amateur Radio at the National level, try these links:

• The President of the United States addresses the Florida 80m ARES Net (1/31/2002)
• The President's 2002 State of the Union Address, mentioning Amateur Radio