New York City Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Service

New York City Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Service (NYC-ARECS) is a member run organization of NYC based amateur radio operators (hams) who are trained and dedicated to providing radio communications for governments, civil-preparedness and relief agencies during periods of local, regional, or national civil emergencies. These emergencies may include natural disasters (such as fires, floods or earthquakes) or acts of terrorism.

While the organization of NYC-ARECS started in late 2003 (and it's constitution ratified by it's members in March 2004), our roots are deep in amateur radio public service and emergency communications dating back to the 1980's through other organizations. Past activations: 1992 Coastal Storm, 1996 Blizzard, Hurricane Floyd, Y2K, 9/11-WTC Attack, the 2002 Con Edison Fire & Blackout, the Staten Island Oil Barge Explosion, the Blackout of 2003, the December 2004 Tsunami and others. These well trained and dedicated people saw a need to form an organization that was not controlled by those who lived outside the greatest city in the world - New York City. A member run organization was formed to chart it's own course in training, special event public service and readiness. Our weekly net is on Monday evenings at 8:30PM on the repeaters of the N2ROW system (http://www.n2row.net)

One of the emergency radio activities that NYC-ARECS supports is the Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES). RACES is a radio communication service conducted by volunteer licensed amateur radio operators, as authorized by the Federal Communications Commission and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) of the United States government in 1952, to provide emergency communications to government agencies. The New York City RACES program has a decade-long track record of also providing emergency communications for any disaster relief agency that is working with local government to aid the citizens of New York City.

News Headlines & Audio from TWIAR (This Week In Amateur Radio)

our own KC2ENI/G7LTT is a local contributor

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Fact of the Day

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BBC Radio 4 Program "Unsung Heroes" about
Our Members' Involvement in 9/11-WTC

Amateur Radio Headlines

America's Quiet Warriors
America's quiet warriors are the legion of ham radio operators, 700,000 of them, who are always at ready for backup duty in emergencies - amateur, unpaid, uncelebrated, civilian radio operators, during and after floods and fires and tornadoes. After the 9/11 attacks, hams were indispensable in reuniting friends and families. Most recently it was they who expedited the search for debris after the disaster to the space shuttle Columbia, and right now, at this moment, they are involved in homeland security to a greater degree than you would want me to make public
- Paul Harvey News and Comment, ABC Radio, March 19, 2003

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society cites a decade of service by
awarding NYC-ARECS as the 2005 Mass Markets Volunteer of The
Year at their annual meeting January 17, 2006.

NEW LAW FORMALLY MAKES AMATEUR RADIO PART OF
EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS COMMUNITY

A section of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) 2007 Appropriations Act, HR 5441, formally includes Amateur Radio operators as a part of the emergency communications community. Congress approved the measure before adjourning for its pre-election break. President George W. Bush signed the bill into law October 4, 2006.

Amateur Radio is included within the legislation's Subtitle D, Section 671, known as the "21st Century Emergency Communications Act." Radio amateurs are among the entities with which a Regional Emergency Communications Coordination Working Group (RECC Working Group) must coordinate its activities. Included within the DHS's Office of Emergency Communications -- which the measure also creates -- RECC Working Groups attached to each regional DHS office will advise federal and state homeland security officials. The final version of the legislation incorporated language from both House and Senate bills and was hammered out in a conference committee. An earlier version of the 21st Century Emergency Communications Act, HR 5852, included Amateur Radio operators as members of the RECC Working Groups.

In addition to Amateur Radio operators, RECC Working Groups also will coordinate with communications equipment manufacturers and vendors -- including broadband data service providers, local exchange carriers, local broadcast media, wireless carriers, satellite communications services, cable operators, hospitals, public utility services, emergency evacuation transit services, ambulance services, and representatives from other private sector entities and nongovernmental organizations.

The RECC Working Groups will assess the survivability, sustainability and interoperability of local emergency communication systems to meet the goals of the National Emergency Communications Report. That report would recommend how the US could "accelerate the deployment of interoperable emergency communications nationwide." They also will coordinate the establishment of "effective multi-jurisdictional, multi-agency emergency communications networks" that could be brought into play in an emergency or disaster.

FEMA Region II Homepage

Serving the federal emergency management needs of NY, NJ, PR, and the Virgin Islands

FEMA Storm Watch Page

FEMA for Kids

NY State Emergency Management Office (SEMO)

Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management Agencies

Includes FEMA's Civil Preparedness Guide

U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary

National site of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary - "America's Volunteer Lifesavers"

U.S. Civil Air Patrol

National Headquarters site of the U.S. Air Force Auxiliary-Civil Air Patrol

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Emergency Preparedness

HHS/OEP coordinates the Department's efforts to provide assistance to supplement local resources in response

to public health and medical care needs following a disaster or event

U.S. National Weather Service

For high-speed users. This brand new NWS-IWIN site features live images and active warnings

Opening and Closing the NYC-ARECS Net Latest Edition: June 2008	NYC-ARECS Membership Levels and Application Form
N3IMU's Article in Monitoring Times Magazine About Embedded Hams	FCC Part 97 Rules For Amateur Radio
KD5ZGU's "Amateur Power" Article in Fire Chief Magazine	Combined Technician & General Study Guide; Extra Study Guide
NYC-ARECS Online EmComm Training Materials and Test Questions	Antennas, Antennas and More Antennas (Antenna Theory too!)
Packet Radio (Data) Primer Page From TAPR.ORG, JNOS Primer, JNOS Operator Guide (Scroll down for a JNOS telnet screen in a Java Applet window below)	Intro to NTS Manual (National Traffic System by Voice and Packet)

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