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About Oregon ARES/RACES - District One
The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) has several Divisions in the country. Each Division is broken down into Sections. Oregon is one Section; however some states have more than one Section. One of the programs sponsored by ARRL is called ARES, Amateur Radio Emergency Service. Oregon has been divided into six Districts by ARRL as indicated on the map.  Each of these six Districts has a District Emergency Coordinator (DEC) appointed to oversee and coordinate operations within the specific district. In a time of crisis, our first priority is to provide needed emergency communications to the Office of Emergency Management, or other served agencies, in a specific county or district. Any of the Oregon Districts can serve as a coordination point between neighboring jurisdictions and/or state response operations. We have a mutual aid program where counties can get support from within their district and districts can support each other if needed. County level Emergency Coordinators (EC) are appointed by the DEC to work in specific counties or geographic locations. All appointments are subject to the approval of the Section Emergency Coordinator (SEC) and the Section Manager (SM) who is the elected head of the Field Organization of the ARRL for a specific Section. Oregon ARES District 1 consists of six counties. Within each county are the following personnel: • District Emergency Coordinator (DEC) • Emergency Coordinators (EC) • Assistant Emergency Coordinator (AEC) • Local County ARES/RACES membership. Membership is organized in varying manners based on the needs of the specific county. As a team, we provide supplemental communications for emergencies and disaster assistance missions, and work with other volunteer organizations who would request communication support in performing their public service activities. Many of our volunteers work in their local communities to help with emergency planning and communications assistance in time of need. In most cases we are not first responders, however those members who are have received specialized training and equipment. How Does It All Work? Usually we’ll first hear about a situation just like everyone else – on the news. If not, a call will be placed to the SEC or a DEC from the State OEM or other served agency asking for assistance. Information about the incident is gathered and a deployment plan formulated. This information is passed on to ARES leaders at the appropriate levels using whatever communications means are available, most often phone or linked VHF repeaters. Local radio nets are established on planned frequencies in each district, county, or city levels depending on the need. One or more nets can be set up for overall state coordination if required. This will include the use of HF, UHF/VHF and packet modes. The SEC coordinates all movements of volunteers and equipment throughout the state. The DEC’s will set up marshalling sites in the affected areas, make their needs known, and log in all teams coming into the area to give aid. The EC’s will provide manpower and equipment to meet the needs of the incident within his/her jurisdiction and keep the DEC informed on the unit’s operation. What If I Just Show Up? While we know you just want to help, given the current requirements of emergency aid and the probability that the site could also be a crime scene, people who just show up will encounter difficulties. Without going through the process and being properly assigned and documented at the marshalling areas you may end up detained, or even arrested! ARES volunteers can expect to be assigned to Emergency Operations Centers (EOC), shelters, mobile units working on tactical and logistical problems, hospitals and clinics, or triage areas. You will provide communication support for critical agencies who do not have compatible radios of their own. You may be in an office or out in a parking lot. Our main strength, which is key to this type of operation, is our ability to set up almost anywhere we are asked to help. |