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What is
RACES
RACES stands for "Radio
Amateur Civil Emergency Service," a protocol created by the Federal
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Federal Communications
Commission (FCC
Part 97, Section 407). Many government agencies across the
country train their Auxiliary Communications Service (ACS)
volunteers using the RACES protocol. The volunteers serve their
respective jurisdictions pursuant to guidelines and mandates
established by local emergency management officials.
RACES volunteer operators are:
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Licensed Radio
Amateurs
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Certified by a civil
defense agency
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Able to communicate
on Amateur Radio frequencies during drills, exercises and
emergencies
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Activated by local,
county and state jurisdictions and are the only Amateur Radio
operators authorized to transmit during declared emergencies
when the President of the United States specifically invokes
the War Powers Act.
RACES Resource
Library:
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This web site
is intended to assist in the distribution of RACES Auxiliary
Emergency Communications information. Updated RACES
documentation and other emergency preparedness documents are
available through the RACES
Resource Library,
maintained by RACES volunteers registered with the Arlington
County, Virginia Office of Emergency Management, Emergency
Support Function #2.
National Incident
Management System:
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Protocols embraced
by RACES volunteers across the nation include the National
Incident Management System (NIMS), which provides a
consistent nationwide template to enable federal, state and
local governments, nongovernmental organizations, and the
private sector to work together to protect against, respond to,
recover from, and mitigate the effects of incidents.
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