The Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) consists of licensed amateurs who have voluntarily

registered their qualifications and equipment for communications duty in the public interest when

disaster strikes. Every licensed amateur, regardless of membership in ARRL or any other local or

national organization, is eligible for membership in the ARES. The only qualification, other than

possession of an Amateur Radio license, is a sincere desire to serve. Because ARES is an amateur

service, only amateurs are eligible for membership. The possession of emergency-powered

equipment is desirable, but is not a requirement for membership.

There are three levels of ARES organization--section, district and local. At the section level, the

Section Emergency Coordinator is appointed by the Section Manager (who is elected by the ARRL

members in his section) and works under his supervision. In most sections, the SM delegates to the

SEC the administration of the section emergency plan and the authority to appoint district and local

ECs.

It is at the local level where most of the organization and operation is effected, because this is the

level at which most emergencies occur and the level at which ARES leadership makes direct contact

with the ARES member-volunteers and with officials of the agencies to be served. The local EC is

therefore the key contact in the ARES. The EC is appointed by the SEC, usually on the

recommendation of the district EC (DEC). Depending on how the SEC has set up the section for

administrative purposes, the EC may have jurisdiction over a small community or a large city, an entire

county or even a group of counties. Whatever jurisdiction is assigned, the EC is in charge of all ARES

activities in his area, not just one interest group, one agency, one club or one band.

In large sections, the SECs have the option of grouping their EC jurisdictions into "districts" and

appointing a district EC to coordinate the activities of the local ECs. In some cases, the districts may

conform to the boundaries of governmental planning or emergency-operations districts, while in others

they are simply based on repeater coverage or geographical boundaries.

Special-interest groups are headed up by "assistant emergency coordinators," designated by the EC

to supervise activities of groups operating in certain bands, especially those groups which play an

important role at the local level, but they may be designated in any manner the EC deems

appropriate. These assistants, with the EC as chairman, constitute the local ARES "planning

committee" and they meet together to discuss problems and plan projects to keep the ARES group

active and well-trained.

There are any number of different situations and circumstances that might confront an EC, and his

ARES unit should be organized in anticipation of them. There is no specific point at which

organization ceases and operation commences. Both phases must be concurrent because a living

organization is a changing one, and the operations of a changing organization must change with the

organization.