What is ARES?
The Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARESĀ®) consists of Amateur Radio licensees who have voluntarily registered their qualifications and equipment for communications duty in the public service when disaster strikes. Every licensed amateur, regardless of membership in ARRL or any other local or national organization, is eligible to apply for membership in ARES. Training may be required to participate fully in ARES. The local ARES Emergency Coordinator can provide specifics. Because ARES is an Amateur Radio program, only licensed radio amateurs are eligible for membership. The possession of emergency-powered equipment is desirable, but is not a requirement for membership.
St Clair County ARES
St Clair County (SCC) ARES is the active local unit of ARES. SCC ARES is in District 2 North of the Michigan Section, a part of the Great Lakes Division of ARRL. We meet Monthly at the St Clair County Emergency Operations Center, located at 295 Airport DR, Kimball, MI 48074. St Clair County HS/EM is our primary served agency. You must be a licensed Radio Amateur to fulfill the obligations of SCC ARES membership.
Our training plan follows the ARES Manual using the ARES Standardized Training Plan Taskbook with some additional requirements for special assignments, such as EOC Radio Ops and RACES Operations. The ARRL ARES web page can be found here.
Steps to Membership in SCC ARES
- Complete the SCC ARPSC Questionnaire found at the link below. All SCC ARES members are required to update this form yearly during April for membership renewal (except new applicants in the current calendar year). The yearly renewal process enables leadership to have an accurate count of active members.
- Follow this link to access the questionnaire: Signup Survey
- New applicants will be contacted by leadership.
- Membership questions should be directed to the EC/RO as listed on the Leadership page.
- Applicants that have completed the questionnaire and seek to advance will be sent a St Clair County Volunteer application and background check consent form to complete and return.
- Download and bring to the meeting a Training Plan Taskbook. Taskbooks will be updated in the ARES data base to keep leadership apprised of the level of group availability. This info is used to plan response to emergency activation. PDF Taskbooks can be shared by emailing updated copies to the EC.
- The ARPSC Certification Matrix (download it here) lists the requirements for all levels of participation. This includes Meeting and Net attendance requirements by member level of involvement. Only those above the Entry Level will be activated for Emergency Callups.
- Attendance Log. View attendance at local meetings, nets, training’s and events by clicking this button. All ARPSC, SKYWARN, Siren Test and NTS nets in SCC will be logged if the counts are submitted to the EC.
Training Materials
Online Training
Available from FEMA
IS-100 Introduction to the Incident Command System
IS-700 Introduction to National Incident Management System
IS-200 ICS for Single Resources and Initial Action Incidents
IS-800 National Response Framework, an Introduction
To register for these courses visit this page.
Available from ARRL ARES
EC-001 Introduction to Emergency Communications (ARRL)
EC-016 Public Service and Emergency Communications for Radio Amateurs (ARRL)
To register for these courses visit this page.
Downloadable Manuals
- ARES Manual (PDF) download
- ARES Field Resources Manual (PDF) download
- ARES Standardized Training Plan Taskbook (Fillable or Printable)
- ARPSC Guidelines (PDF) download
Operational and Incident Forms
Message handling in Emergency Communications assignments requires the use of certain common forms. Some are universal, but others may be supplied by the served agency. Some of these are listed below with clickable links. Notice that there are forms to be printed and some for direct input on a computer. In parenthesis is the recommended supply to have on hand.
- ICS 214 Individual Log Sheet (6) (PDF download)
- ICS 309 Station Communications Log (10) (PDF download)
- ICS 205 Communications Plan (Issued by COML or EC) (PDF download)
- ICS 213 Standard Message Form (20) (PDF download)
- NTS RADIOGRAM Form For Health & Welfare Messaging (10) (PDF download)
- Operation Brief Form Assignment Information (6) (PDF download)
Michigan Emergency Preparedness Regions
