Emergency Communications
Emergency communications (sometimes called EmComm) is probably the biggest single topic in the amateur radio service. When all else fails, hams can still get messages through. Preparedness is the key, and several local groups are organized for emergency response.
Radio helps transmit urgent emergency messages, "health and welfare" traffic, tactical messages and whatever other traffic needs to be sent. "Health and welfare" means traffic with people in a disaster area regarding important but non-urgent health matters and/or meant to enhance the welfare of disaster victims. This typically includes helping families make sure their loved ones in the area are safe.
Organizations in the B/CS Area
This list may not include every organization available in B/CS, but these are the primary contacts for volunteering hams.
ARES
Amateur Radio Emergency Service
ARES is the local, ARRL-sponsored counterpart to RACES, and is the club's primary point of contact for emergency communications in Brazos County. The Brazos County Emergency Coordinator is Ron Estes, KJ5EFO; the relationship between Brazos County ARES and Brazos County Emergency Management is formalized in the county's Emergency Management Annex B.
Brazos County ARES (callsign N5BRZ) holds a monthly net on the first Tuesday of each month at 8:30 PM on the 443.425 MHz repeater, in addition to statewide ARES HF nets for tactical and health-and-welfare traffic.
RACES
Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service
RACES is a government-sponsored, FCC-authorized organization that falls under FEMA, and during wartime may become the only authorized amateur radio organization permitted to continue operations. In Texas, RACES is coordinated statewide through the Texas Division of Emergency Management — there isn't currently an active Brazos County RACES program; ARES above is the active local equivalent.
CERT
Community Emergency Response Team
Standing Ready, the local CERT initiative, works for general community preparation. CERT in particular focuses on helping first responders during emergencies.
Though not specifically an Amateur Radio organization, many new CERT members get ham licenses too, since ham frequencies are so useful for their mission.
SKYWARN
Storm spotters and chasers are the core of SKYWARN and its regional affiliates below. Spotters generally remain in one location, near a population center, and watch for severe weather "headed for town". Chasers actively travel towards expected severe weather outbreaks. They're usually researching this type of weather or acting like "mobile" spotters, though some chasers spot weather for TV stations, take pictures of weather professionally, or show severe weather to tourists.
NWS SKYWARN Storm Spotter Program
SKYWARN is a group of trained storm spotters who watch the weather and report severe conditions to emergency management (or directly to the National Weather Service). Storm spotters provide critical supplemental information to the NWS, information that even advanced Doppler radars may miss.
SKYWARN in this area is tied in with ARES. In fact, weather emergencies are the most frequent and likely emergencies for this area. College Station has housed hurricane refugees from the coast many times in the past; shelters need communications with Emergency Management officials, and "health and welfare" traffic becomes very important at these times.
We also experience local severe weather - we are in Tornado Alley! We may also suffer from hurricanes directly (more so from their flooding rains and storm-spawned tornadoes than hurricane winds).
SKYWARN training sessions are usually held in the spring, and if a session isn't held on- or off-campus, it'll be held in a community nearby. Sessions are taught by personnel of the National Weather Service.
Free spotter training is also available year-round online through the MetEd COMET Program; after completing it, register as a spotter through Brazos County SKYWARN or by emailing brazosskywarn@gmail.com.
LSSN, a regional SKYWARN affiliate
Lone Star Storm Spotters Network
LSSN is an organized, statewide SKYWARN effort, formerly called Central Texas Storm Spotters. The network consists of spotters located generally in the eastern 2/3rds of Texas who coordinate activities and training, as well as communication.
American Red Cross
The American Red Cross is served by amateur radio operators nationally for disaster relief communications, but W5AC doesn't currently have an active local partnership with a Red Cross chapter — unlike ARES and SKYWARN above.
SATERN
Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network
SATERN is the Salvation Army's national emergency radio network. W5AC doesn't currently have an active local SATERN partnership; hams interested in this kind of served-agency work should look at ARES above instead.
EmComm at W5AC
The W5AC club shack was formerly a backup emergency communications facility for the county.
Field Day acts as a nation-wide EmComm drill, and is held each year around the end of June. The club demonstrates its ability to operate away from the shack, with temporary antennas, or on generator or solar power for an extended time, using the procedures and equipment we own.