• What are my obligations if I join ARES®?

    You have no obligations. According to the American Radio Relay League guidelines: "The only qualification, other than possession of an Amateur Radio license, is a sincere desire to serve."

    Some of our volunteers are equipped, ready, and able to jump into all manner of emergency situations. Others are unable or do not wish to activate during emergencies. The manner and degree to which you wish to participate is up to you. Clearly, though, if you wish to activate and work during emergencies, you will be required to take a certain amount of training.

  • Do I have to take the Introduction to Emergency Communication course? If so, why?

    You only have to take the Introduction to Emergency Communication course if you wish to actively participate during emergencies. We feel that the course contains information that is vital for you to know. If you cannot or do not wish to take the ARRL online course, you can simply purchase the course book and study it on your own. Local ARRL VE teams can give you the final exam.

    Note: You do not have to take the course if you already have a certificate for the Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Course (ARECC).

  • Do I have to take FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) courses? If so, why?

    You only have to take FEMA courses if you wish to work at one of the served agencies during an emergency.

    As much as they may need volunteers, many agencies are leery of using them. The State of Missouri Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) has determined that all volunteers should take certain FEMA courses. This is to insure that the volunteers have some understanding of how to work with disaster relief and other professional agencies. Many local agencies follow the SEMA guidelines 1 and insist that their own volunteers take the same FEMA courses. See the Training Page for more information.

    The FEMA courses can be taken online through the FEMA Independent Study Program. The same courses are sometimes offered locally, though not on a regular basis. The courses are not particularly difficult. The locally taught courses typically run four hours. You can take as much time as you want on the online courses.

  • What is a "served agency"? Who are they?

    ARES® teams provide services to a variety of local emergency and relief organizations. Once a MOU (Memorandum Of Understanding) has been signed by ARES® and by an organization, that organization becomes one of the ARES® team's "clients", or a "served agency".

    At this time St. Louis County ARES® has MOUs with -

    • The Bellefontaine Habilitation Center
    • The St. Louis Developmental Disabilities Treatment Center
    • Central County Emergency 911

    Other MOUs are pending and discussions with other potential agencies are underway.

  • What's with all the "formal traffic" on the St. Louis County ARES® net?

    During an actual emergency it is very likely that ARES® will be used to relay messages between served agencies, shelters, disaster sites and so forth. To make sure that the messages are accurate and are properly routed they will usually be in the form of written messages sent as "radiograms". We occasionally pass "formal traffic" on the ARES® net (usually obtained from the National Traffic System) to gain practical experience in handling radiograms. We encourage all amateur radio operators listening to the net to write down the messages for practice, even if they are not going to deliver them. (See the Message Handling page for more information.)

  • Why is there a St. Louis County ARES® and also a St. Louis City ARES®?

    Missouri ARES® teams are organized by county. St. Louis City is not located within St. Louis County. It is a separate geopolitical entity and therefore has its own ARES® group.

    The most recent information that we have is that a new St. Louis City ARES® team will be organized by the St. Louis Emergency Management Agency.

  • What's the difference between St. Louis County ARES® and St. Louis County RACES?

    St. Louis County RACES serves the St. Louis County Office of Emergency Management. Should there be a RACES call-out, this group will provide amateur radio services to the County in its Emergency Operations Center. The same team also operates the SKYWARN program in St. Louis County for the local office of the National Weather Service.

    St. Louis County ARES® has Memoranda Of Understanding with several local served agencies. It provides backup and alternative communications to these agencies if their own systems have failed or are overwhelmed.

    The two groups are not related, but will undoubtedly interact during a major disaster.

  • Can I join more than one ARES® team?

    You can, but most disaster and relief organizations discourage you from "wearing too many hats". They want to know that if they train you, you will make a reasonable effort to make yourself available to them during a disaster. If you join several organizations that will need your services at the same time, you may be asked to declare a "primary allegiance".

    The American Radio Relay League recommends that you join the ARES® team in the community where your residence is located.

  • When you have a real emergency, can I help?

    The time to get involved is now. Join us. Let us train you and help you prepare. Let us learn what your strengths, talents, and interests are. We won't have time to do any of this when a real emergency arises.

  • I'm not sure if I'm ready to join. What should I do?

    There are several things you can do while you consider whether or not to join. You can check in to our weekly 2 meter net without being a volunteer. You can monitor our on-air exercises. You can drop by our table at area hamfests. Or you can contact our Emergency Coordinator (see contacts page) directly. He will be happy to answer all of your questions.

  • Where can I find your "net script"?

    The "script" for the weekly 2 meter net can be found on the Voice Net Operations page.

  • If I join, can I expect to work emergencies?

    Conditionally, yes.
    Our Training pages describe what we'd like you to do and what training you will need before you can be dispatched to an emergency. In addition, you will need to inform the Emergency Coordinator that you would like to be put on the "deployment list". We do not send ARES® volunteers to emergencies unless they have been adequately trained and have expressed a desire and willingness to work. More information on this topic can be found on the Registered Volunteers Only pages.

  • Why is the name of your group a registered mark?

    It isn't. The Amateur Radio Emergency Service® is a program of the American Radio Relay League. "ARES" and "Amateur Radio Emergency Service" are registered marks of and are used on this Web site by permission of the ARRL. We are required to show the ® symbol any time we use either name.

1 - Please see the Software section of the Resources page if you do not have software necessary to read these files.

© 2012 St. Louis County ARES®

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