The Jefferson County, Kentucky. Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES)® is an all volunteer group of licensed amateur radio operators who have registered their qualifications and equipment and undergone specialized training for emergency communications duty during natural or man-made disasters. We also offer our communications services free of charge to community events around the area such as walks, runs and bike rides, festivals, carnivals and other gatherings. We use these events as a training opportunity and a way to educate the public about amateur radio.
Every licensed amateur, regardless of membership in ARRL or any other local or national organization, is eligible for membership in ARES. The only requirements are possession of an Amateur Radio license, some basic training listed below, and a sincere desire to serve.
ARES is organized and sponsored by the American Radio Relay League.
Amateur radio operators belonging to various ARES groups have responded to local and regional disasters since the 1930s, including the attacks of September 11, 2001, the 2003 North America Blackout and Hurricane Katrina. Each year, ARES groups around the nation deploy for a variety of local disasters such as severe thunder storms, tornados, floods, wildfires and other incidents. Locally, Jefferson County ARES has played a role in almost every major disaster to strike the Louisville area in the last 50 years. Just a few of them being the 1965 DuPont plant explosion, the 1974 tornado, the winter storm of 1994, flooding in 1997, holiday snow storm of 2004 , the 2008 windstorm and blackout and most recently the 2009 ice storm and blackout.
Amateur radio provides a means of communication when all others fail because unlike commercial systems, amateur radio is not dependent on terrestrial facilities like cellular network sites or computer controllers that can be disabled or destroyed. It is dispersed throughout the community without these "choke points".
And even though amateur radio uses repeaters which can also be disabled, hams can operate vary well without them. The same cannot be said for many public safety radio systems that require repeaters for the majority of the system's coverage.
If you would like to know more about amateur radio, how to become an amateur radio operator and how hams assist in disaster relief operations, go to Hello-Radio.org. To find amateur radio license test sessions in the Louisville area CLICK HERE.
ARRL KY Section Manager: Jim Brooks KY4Z 502-349-2099 Email
Required Training
Just having a license, radio and a desire to help is not enough, Having basic knowledge of emergency communications practices and emergency management and communications systems is not only essential but REQUIRED! Every Jefferson County ARES member is required to complete the Kentucky ARES training course and FEMA independent study courses IS-100, IS-200, IS-700 and IS-800, these courses are not vary difficult. We ask this of our members because operating in an EMCOMM situation isn't the same as ragchewing on a repeater or contesting on HF, without the basic training and emergency communications skills needed, you'll just be a liability.
Until you have completed the required training, you will NOT be allowed to participate in any Jefferson County ARES deployments.
Kentucky ARES® Training Program
The Kentucky ARES Training Program is based on materials written and edited by AG4TY, W0IPL and many other experienced KY ARES Coordinators. This material is copyrighted, and is presented by permission and without restriction or cost to the amateur radio and public service community for non-profit, education use. The course is comprised of study materials and 3 exams and requires 2-5 hours depending on your reading speed.
After successful completion of the course, you will be listed on the KY ARES Graduate Page and receive a PDF certificate. Email a copy of your certificate to your county Emergency Coordinator so that he/she can keep a record of your training and qualifications. Each exam has 50 questions, and a minimum score of 40 correct answers is required to pass. Exam 1 has two questions concerning attitude that must be answered correctly. Each test is scored within 3-12 days depending on the workload of the web administrator. Results will be sent via email and the results of Kentucky amateur operators will be copied to ARES coordinators in their area for their records. Kentucky Emergency Management offers 2 hours continuing education credit for EM staff that successfully complete this course.
FEMA NIMS Training
Effective in 2006, many public service agencies and facilities began requiring volunteers to complete National Incident Management System (NIMS) Training. These courses are short in length and FREE OF CHARGE. Many other free courses are also available on FEMA's Independent Study Program Web Site.
As with your KY ARES certificate, email a copy of each FEMA IS course certificate to your county EC.
In edition to the required training listed above, many Jefferson County ARES members have also elected to take training classes like Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), various courses offered by the American Red Cross such as Damage Assessment, First Aid and CPR or the National Weather Service's Storm Spotter class (SKYWARN). These courses are NOT required by Jefferson County ARES, but they are highly recommended.
If you are interested in taking CERT training, contactKevin Combs KI4JSY so he can put you on the list for the next class. if you would like to take NWS storm spotter training, click on this link to see upcoming spotter classes. If you would like to take any of the courses offered by the American Red Cross then click here.
As a member of Jefferson County ARES you will be expected to keep your EMCOMM skills sharp so that you will be able to deploy when ever a disaster may strike. You can do this by studying related material and literature on your own and doing practice drills at home such as sending mock emergency traffic between you and a friend or setting up temporary stations in the back yard. More information on emergency communications training materials and activities can be obtained from the Jefferson County ARES Emergency Coordinator.
In the near future we will again be holding regular meetings and each will include some sort of training exercise.
Now that you know what we do and what is required to be a member of Jefferson County ARES we hope you will consider joining our group and accepting the challenge of serving as a volunteer emergency communicator in the Jefferson County Amateur Radio Emergency Service.
“ARES”® and “Amateur Radio Emergency Service”® are registered servicemarks of the American Radio Relay League, Incorporated and are used by permission.
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