Who or what is ARES / RACES? We see this mentioned in the lexicon of Amateur Radio often, especially in circles of conversation related to community service, and emergency communications and preparedness.
- ARES – Amateur Radio Emergency Service
- RACES – Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service
I am not going to get into the history of the 2 organizations here. If you wish to dip your toe into that murky pond, then Google is as good a starting point as any. It is only relevant to us members of GVARC that in Santa Clara County, ARES/RACES are for all intent and purpose, the same, and use the same operating rules, with the addition of ACS or California Auxiliary Communications Service thrown in for good measure. This significantly reduces bureaucracy and management overhead for the agencies served. One leadership team to rule them all. But in a nutshell, ARES/RACES is the framework under which amateur radio operators train, drill, prepare, and ultimately deploy, in the event of an emergency, or even to support local events. ARES/RACES employs the same ICS (Incident Command System) principles that professional responders and governments use to manage crisis or events.
The Santa Clara County ARES/RACES website can be found here: https://www.scc-ares-races.org
You should take a moment and visit the site, and if you do not have an account, take a moment to create one. Only takes a couple minutes, and it is free.
Once you have your account set up, a great place to start would be Training! Follow the links to the training and events opportunities, such as the annual 2025 Tierra Bella Bicycle Tour, that is held right here in South County each Spring.
Other great options in the training section of the site are:
Take a few moments and familiarize yourselves with the site. Ask questions at the Tuesday net, or at our monthly breakfast.