April 2025

DEC Bulletin

The primary objective for the Amateur Radio Emergency Service® (ARES®) is to provide backup emergency communications services to Public Safety, Emergency Management, and disaster relief agencies when required in the absence of the primary communications infrastructure. The secondary objective is to be accurate and complete communication. Underlying consideration is given to operation under adverse conditions and for extended duration. These objectives will be advanced through organized training and preparation.

Operators in the ARES® function as part of an organization. ARES® operators will be given priority consideration and recognition over untrained and/or non-member operators in emergency situations. ARES® members must always remember that they individually appear to be the public face of these operations and/or amateur radio in general. The highest standards will be regarded as the foundation of operations. ARES® operators will provide the working backbone of El Paso emergency communications.

A communications emergency is a situation in which a potential, immediate, or sustained harm to human life or property could be prevented, mitigated, or relieved through the efficient use of the facilities and expertise of amateur radio operators. Such expertise may be in addition to or in place of “normal” or “official” means of communications. Operators may work independently, or in co-operation with or support of local government or relief agencies. ARES® responsibility is limited solely to providing communications but that shall neither enhance nor diminish obligations or privileges of members as citizens.

El Paso County ARES® is a voluntary amateur radio organization authorized by the American Radio Relay League, inc. which is designed to support emergency and disaster relief and response agencies. All facilities of the organization are maintained solely to enhance that mission.

Standard operating procedures are not a specific, finite set of rules and practices but rather the opposite of non-standard procedures. The term also includes the concept of standardized procedures. Universally understood, routine practices facilitate communication in an efficient and orderly manner and do not require “re-translation” by the transmitting or receiving station.

Generally, concepts printed in the ARRL Operating Manual serve as the foundation for Standard Operating Procedures. Items of special interest include:

·         Always use only current IUT (International Telecommunications Union) phonetics.

·         Allow some lag time between conversations for break-in traffic (on repeaters, this generally means waiting for the “courtesy beep”).

·         Keep all transmissions short, accurate and precise – eliminate unnecessary transmissions entirely.

·         Use good microphone techniques (speak across the mic – not directly into it) and good diction and enunciation to avoid distortions and misinterpretations.

·         Complete the mission – are you sure the message got through as intended?

Perhaps most important:

   THINK – before, during, and after transmission.

THINK – before, during, and after reception.

A proficient operator will always use these techniques under disaster/emergency conditions. By routinely using the same procedures during common communication, a habit will be established and training re-enforced. Switching between disaster/emergency rules and daily rules is effectively requiring the unnecessary learning of two different (but related) languages – and then having to decide when to use each.

The terms ARES® and Amateur Radio Emergency Service® is both registered trademarks of the American Radio Relay League, Inc. and are used by permission.

Questions and comments are always welcome and encouraged. Send an email to the address shown below.

Lew Maxwell, KB5HPT

Amateur Radio Emergency Service

DEC, District 6, WTX Section

TX RACES: DRO-8A

Email: ldmax12@yahoo.com