General Information

The Mount Tom Amateur Repeater Association has as part of its mission, the resources and intent to assist the communities in our service area in the event of an emergency or disaster. In order to fulfill this purpose, our members are encouraged to use their personal resources and communications assets, as well as those belonging to the club, to be prepared to serve in any capacity needed. Accordingly, the pages in this section describe some of the ways one can prepare, information needed by organizations we assist, and a list of events which serve to provide communications training.  

Get Your Message Through…

Use The Proper Phonetic Alphabet, Or Perhaps Practice Morse Code For More Diversity In Sending Your Important Traffic Or Messages Over The Airwaves.

---

What Can I Join? AND Is There a Difference? 

With ANY of the organizations listed below, each help the community you live in, and the surrounding communities within… Each are different to each other, and you have to research and decide which volunteer service might suit you best. 

In either of these services, you must always remember each is a structured system, and you should never consider “Self Deployment” during an emergency event. Rather, you would report your availability to the leader in charge of your volunteer service and await further instructions (if any at all)

---

1)  Amateur Radio Emergency Service® (ARES)

---

2)  Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service

Associated with Local and/or Federal Government, 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.

*** Watch The EARLY YEARS Of The Civil Defense Program Here ***

RACES volunteer operators are:

• Licensed Radio Amateurs
• Certified by a civil defense agency
• Able to communicate 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.

 

RACES Resource Library:

• 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:

• 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.

---

3)  CERT – Community Emergency Response Team

The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program educates volunteers about disaster preparedness for the hazards that may impact their area and trains them in basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization, and disaster medical operations. CERT offers a consistent, nationwide approach to volunteer training and organization that professional responders can rely on during disaster situations, allowing them to focus on more complex tasks.

*** Watch An Introduction Video To CERT Training Here ***