About Schoharie County
| Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES) | Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) |
|---|---|
| RACES Radio Officer: John B. Knoebel, KC2RMD | County Emergency Coordinator: John B. Knoebel, KC2RMD |
| Deputy Radio Officer: Matt Lacy, NQ2U | Assistant Emergency Coordinator: Wells Farr, WB3CUF |
| Assistant Emergency Coordinator: Matt Lacy, NQ2U | |
| Assistant Emergency Coordinator: Kevin Heckman, N2GCT |
Amateur Radio has a long tradition of giving back to our communities when the time arises. Emergency communication and the Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) is just one facet that members of Schoharie County Amateur Radio Association devote their time. As a part of the field organization of the ARRL, the Section Manager appoints an Emergency Coordinator (EC) in each county within the section. This EC is tasked with developing relationships between capable amateur operators that can be called upon in times of need, as well as cultivating relationships with agencies requiring communications support in the event of an incident (or in the name of public service. ARES can also be activated to start a "weather net," relaying information to the National Weather Service faster than traditional phone or internet services. Once activated, ARES follows procedures set by the ARRL in various manuals, as well as responding to the demands and unique situation of the served agency and/or incident.
ARES members work from a task book and are expected to complete assigned training modules on the Incident Command System (ICS) and other relevant items. All trainings play a part in becoming an effective, precise, and succinct communicator, but to help others as a public service is a feeling seldom matched. The ARES Emergency Coordinator (or assistants) provide additional training on a variety of relevant topics:
- Message handling and the NTS network
- Communications technology (Winlink, JS8Call, etc.)
- Administrative procedures (creating/closing public service nets)
- Disaster preparedness (simulated events/tabletop exercises)
Schoharie County RACES
The Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES) is a protocol created by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC Part 97, Section 407). Volunteers serve their respective jurisdictions pursuant to guidelines and mandates established by local emergency management officials, embracing the National Incident Management System (NIMS).
RACES volunteer operators are:
- Licensed radio amateurs
- Certified by a civil defense agency (Schoharie County Office of Emergency Services)
- Able to communciate on amateur radio frequencies during drills, exercises, and emergencies
- 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.
Schoharie County ARES Application
Schoharie County RACES Application
Completed applications can be:
- Brought to a regular meeting of the Schoharie County Amateur Radio Association
- Scanned and emailed to the Schoharie County EC team at
- Mailed to County EC/Radio Officer Knoebel at 115 Fort Road, Schoharie, NY 12157