Emergency Service Affiliations

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Wood County Emergency Communications (WCEC) members are affiliated with one or more of the following emergency services. All members are registered with ARES, most members are affiliated with two or three of these organizations, and several WCEC members are affiliated with all of these organizations, and more.

Amateur Radio Emergency Services (ARES)

The Amateur Radio Emergency Service® (ARES) consists of licensed amateurs who have voluntarily registered their qualifications and equipment for communications duty in the public service when disaster strikes.

Every licensed amateur is eligible to apply for membership in ARES. Training may be required or desired to participate fully in ARES, and training requirements are defined at the local level. Because ARES is an Amateur Radio service, only licened radio amateurs are eligible for membership. The possession of emergency-powered equipment is desirable, but is not a requirement for membership.

Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES)

Administered by local, county, and state emergency management agencies, and supported by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) of the United States government, RACES is a part of the Amateur Radio Service that provides radio communications for civil-preparedness purposes only, during periods of local, regional or national civil emergencies. These emergencies are not limited to war-related activities, but can include natural disasters such as fires, floods and earthquakes.

RACES is a radio communication service conducted by volunteer licensed amateurs, designed to provide emergency communications to local or state civil-preparedness agencies. It is important to note that RACES operation is authorized by emergency management officials only, and this operation is strictly limited to official civil-preparedness activity in the event of an emergency-communications situation.

SkyWarn

SkyWarn is a concept developed in the late 1960s that was intended to promote a cooperative effort between the National Weather Service and communities. The emphasis of the effort is often focused on the storm spotter, an individual who takes a position near their community and reports wind gusts, hail size, rainfall, and cloud formations that could signal a developing tornado. Another part of SkyWarn is the receipt and effective distribution of National Weather Service information.

The organization of spotters and the distribution of warning information may lie with the National Weather Service or with an emergency management agency within the community. This agency could be a police or fire department, or often is an emergency management/service group (what people might still think of as Civil Defense groups). This varies across the country, however, with local national weather service offices taking the lead in some locations, while emergency management takes the lead in other areas.

Mid-Ohio Valley Regional Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)

The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Program educates people about disaster preparedness for 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. Using the training learned in the classroom and during exercises, CERT members can assist others in their neighborhood or workplace following an event when professional responders are not immediately available to help. CERT members also are encouraged to support emergency response agencies by taking a more active role in emergency preparedness projects in their community.

National Incident Management System (NIMS)

The National Incident Management System (NIMS) provides a systematic, proactive approach to guide departments and agencies at all levels of government, nongovernmental organizations, and the private sector to work seamlessly to prevent, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate the effects of incidents, regardless of cause, size, location, or complexity, in order to reduce the loss of life and property and harm to the environment. NIMS works hand in hand with the National Response Framework. NIMS provides the template for the management of incidents, while the NRF provides the structure and mechanisms for national-level policy for incident management.

As a private, nongovernmental organization, WCEC is not authorized in any way to determine or declare an "Incident." However, WCEC is a NIMS-compliant private, non-governmental organization, which means that all of its "Executive Staff" and all of  it key technical staff have received, or in the process of completing, all the recommended NIMS training and certification for private organizations, and are ready, willing, and able to assist any and all appropriate agencies in the management of disasters or other incidents within the framework of the NIMS system. [More information.] [Brief video.]

What WCEC, ARES, RACES, and CERT Mean to You

Communities. If you are an elected or appointed public official who represents a municipality in and/or around the Wood County, West Virginia or Washington County, Ohio area, our representatives will be delighted to explain how amateur radio can offer reliable backup for your public safety communications. Amateur radio can help!

Schools. Is your school district prepared to provide communication with families during a possible evacuation? Might you need emergency backup for contact with buses or other district sites? Amateur radio can help!

Hospitals. All the hospitals in the Wood County Emergency Communications service area are equipped with voice and digital packet equipment for use in any emergency. Amateur radio can help!

Agencies. Nationally and in Wood and Washington Counties, the American Red Cross is linked with amateur radio. "Hams" provide communications assistance for "health and welfare" messages, keeping agencies in touch with each other, and letting anxious relatives far away know about the status of loved ones. Could your agency use similar help in an emergency? Amateur radio can help!

Potential Volunteers. If you are a licensed amateur radio operator who would like to be of direct help to your neighbors and community in times of emergency, WCEC, ARES, and RACES, can use your help! No experience is necessary; we will train you. If you are not licensed, we can help you get your amateur radio license. We’d love to hear from you. Contact any WCEC member to learn how you can make a difference!

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