Amateur radio emergency communications


 * For the New Zealand organization see Amateur Radio Emergency Communications.



In times of crisis and natural disasters, Amateur radio is often used as a means of emergency communication when wireline, cell phones and other conventional means of communications fail.

Unlike commercial systems, Amateur radio is not as dependent on terrestrial facilities that can fail. It is dispersed throughout a community without "choke points" such as cellular telephone sites that can be overloaded.

Amateur radio operators are experienced in improvising antennas and power sources and most equipment today can be powered by an automobile battery. Annual "Field Days" are held in many countries to practice these emergency improvisational skills. Amateur radio operators can use hundreds of frequencies and can quickly establish networks tying disparate agencies together to enhance interoperability.

Recent examples include the 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center in Manhattan, the 2003 North America blackout and Hurricane Katrina in September, 2005, where amateur radio was used to coordinate disaster relief activities when other systems failed.

On September 2, 2004, ham radio was used to inform weather forecasters with information on Hurricane Frances live from the Bahamas. On December 26, 2004, an earthquake and resulting tsunami across the Indian Ocean wiped out all communications with the Andaman Islands, except for a DX-pedition that provided a means to coordinate relief efforts.

The largest disaster response by U.S. amateur radio operators was during Hurricane Katrina which first made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane just north of Miami, Florida on August 25, 2005, eventually strengthening to Category 5. More than a thousand ham operators from all over the U.S. converged on the Gulf Coast in an effort to provide emergency communications assistance. Subsequent Congressional hearings highlighted the Amateur Radio response as one of the few examples of what went right in the disaster relief effort.

Organization
While every ham has some emergency communications capability, those who are particularly interested in the public service aspects of the hobby usually affiliate with an organized group for disaster specific training, quick mobilization and to practice emergency skills. These major organizations include:

Australia
In Australia WICEN (pronounced 'Wy-sen'), the Wireless Institute Civil Emergency Network is the officially recognized group that manages Amateur Radio operators to provide emergency communications. In NSW, WICEN is an accredited squad of the NSW Volunteer Rescue Association.

Canada
In Canada, ARES, Amateur Radio Emergency Service, is sponsored by RAC, Radio Amateurs of Canada. Often other less formal networks of volunteer radio operators are also used and organized by the local emergency response agencies in conjunction with local ham radio operators.

India
In India, Vigyan Prasar (an apex body for science popularization under the Department of Science and Technology, Govt. of India) coordinates simulated disaster communication exercises and also organizes trainingsto help people getting ham radio licenses in areas which are vulnerable to natural calamities. Of late, a chapter on Alternative Communication Systems was incorporated by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) into its syllabus on disaster management. In this chapter, the emergency disaster communication operation of ham radio operators during tsunami is highlighted.

Ireland
In Ireland (26 counties), the Amateur Radio Emergency Network (AREN), co-ordinates emergency communications activities on behalf of the Irish Radio Transmitters Society (IRTS). AREN membership is, however, open to all amateur radio operators whether members of IRTS or not.

New Zealand
In New Zealand the New Zealand Association of Radio Transmitters (NZART) provides the AREC - Amateur Radio Emergency Communications (formerly Amateur Radio Emergency Corps) in the role. They won the New Zealand National Search and Rescue award in 2001 for their long commitment to Search and Rescue in NZ.

Trinidad and Tobago
In Trinidad and Tobago, the Emergency Amateur Radio Service (EARS), is a non profit organization registration number E 1772{95}is part of the Trinidad and Tobago Amateur Radio League TTARL http//www.ttarl.org coordinates emergency communications activities within its membership and others who wish to volunteer with EARS in times of emergency.With the Office Disaster Preparedness Management (ODPM) is actively involved in amateur radio and maintains an active amateur radio station and Five repeaters.

United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom, RAYNET, the Radio Amateur Emergency Network, and the RSGB, provide the organizational backbone of their amateur radio emergency communications groups.

United States of America
In the United States, there are two major methods of organizing amateur radio emergency communications: Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES), sponsored by the ARRL, and the Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES), which requires registration with municipal or county governments, to allow continued operation under Part 97.407 of the FCC regulations in the event the Amateur Service is ever shut down by presidential order. ARES and RACES involvement within the same area are usually intertwined, with many governments requiring membership and service in that locale's ARES organization as well. Many government Emergency Operating Centers, Red Cross Chapters and National Weather Service facilities have permanent Amateur Radio stations installed.

Radio clubs independent of the ARRL and ARES also participate in emergency communications activities in some areas, like NYC-ARECS (http://www.nyc-arecs.org). Additionally, the Department of Defense also sponsors the Military Affiliate Radio System (MARS) program which also utilizes Amateur Radio operators for emergency communication.

Emergency communications and disaster assistance is usually done in conjunction with volunteer disaster relief organizations such as the American Red Cross, the Salvation Army, local government emergency management agencies, as well as volunteer fire departments and ambulance corps.

The ARRL has a memorandum of understanding with numerous agencies including the American Red Cross and Salvation Army and is a partner in the Citizen Corps program of FEMA. The ARRL also is a member of the Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters (VOAD) and conducts emergency communications certifcation courses for interested Amateur Radio operators.