What is ARES?

The Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) is a nationally organized group of over 35,000 federally licensed amateur radio operators who have voluntarily registered their services and formed an organized pool of operators to provide reliable primary and secondary communications links for governmental agencies and/or non-profit organizations when needed. 

Local ARES groups participate under the "umbrella" of the national ARES organization which is administered as part of the American Radio Relay League, the National Organization for Amateur Radio.

Locally the Washington County ARES group partners with government and non-government disaster response agencies Washington County, Utah to provide communications capabilities when existing capabilities are overwhelmed or incapacitated.

For more information about joining WCARES contact Dennis Wilds, KJ7ETX, EC WCARES at 360 900 9890 and denniswwilds@gmail.com
 

Why Join?

Amateur radio emergency communications is fun, challenging, and exciting! It’s a great way to get involved in the community, meet new people, learn good communications practices, and work with like-minded hams. Amateur radio operators have proven to be a vital resource in disasters, especially at the local level. Also, simply buying a radio and putting it in your go-bag makes you ill-prepared to communicate in an emergency. Good radio practices are learned and must be practiced in order to maintain a functional level of proficiency – especially during a disaster when emotions and stress are high!

Where do I fit in?

Our group is organized to maximize the efforts of our members and allow them to help in ways that work best for each operator. If you’re interested, we have a place where you can help. Family comes first! In daily activities or during an emergency, your family is always priority number one.

Click here for more information.