Mission

Purpose and Background

 
Washtenaw County ARES / RACES coordinates amateur radio emergency communications for Washtenaw County, Michigan.  It is not a radio club, but acts as an umbrella organization working with local government, amateur radio operators and clubs to prepare for and carry out radio communications in times of emergency. 

The County has included amateur radio in their comprehensive Emergency Management Plan that covers state, county and city units along with other agencies that will be required to manage a disaster.  RACES certification is a requirement for participation by amateur radio operators.  RACES is coordinated locally by the Washtenaw County Emergency Management Division and provides the necessary training.

To provide branding and name recognition, ARES and RACES are the two official capacities we work in.  ARES activities are open to any amateur radio operator and function under the rules of the ARRL and managed locally by the Emergency Coordinator (EC).  RACES operates under federal government control, through the direction of the local emergency management department (in our case, the Washtenaw Emergency Management Division, in association with the local Races Officer (RO).  Only registered RACES members may participate in RACES activities.  Doug Cox, N8ZLR, is both the EC and the RO for Washtenaw County. 

All amateur radio operators who wish to participate when emergency communications are necessary are encouraged to apply for RACES membership. To be a RACES member, you need to be a licensed radio amateur in good standing, complete the IS-22 FEMA, IS-700, IS-800 Independent Study Courses and pass a background check. (http://gateway.dougcox.com/RADIO/races/files2/RACES-REQ.html) Contact the Washtenaw County Emergency Management Division for more information.

One of the most significant threats to Washtenaw County is severe weather.  When severe convective weather (thunderstorm, tornado) is imminent, a Skywarn Net is initiated on the 145.150 repeater, in order to obtain information from the field (ground truth) and report relevant information back to the National Weather Service.  Those amateurs that have received National Weather Service training provide valuable information and are greatly appreciated.  Skywarn training is good for two years.  Skywarn Nets are run out of the County EOC.

Other events that we are involved in include Halloween Patrol, UM Football Nets, and unplanned events such as the August 2003 blackout. The county supports a four-wheel drive team, provides winter storm watch training (depending on resources) and advanced Ecomm training.  We also have weekly nets on Wednesday nights.  We have been asked to supply amateurs for events in Wayne (Free Press Marathon) and Oakland (Dream Cruise) Counties.  We also want to develop a monthly Region 2 South Hospital net.

The most valuable resource is the amateur operator who has taken the locally offered training, understands the local structure and understands that we operate at the pleasure of the Emergency Management Division.
           

RACES Officer / Emergency Coordinator
Doug Cox N8ZLR
Responsible to amateur radio emergency communications in Washtenaw County   

Deputy RACES Officer / Deputy Emergency Coordinator
Pat Clouse KC8UAV
Staff Leader, Operations Coordinator