RADIO AMATEUR CIVIL EMERGENCY SERVICES
Welcome to the LaSalle County RACES Webpage.
RACES provides Amateur Radio communications, and other mission support, to LaSalle County EMA.
Licensed Amateur Radio operators, who have also completed FEMA's free online courses IS 100 and 700, are eligible for RACES membership. Once you have completed IS 100 and 700, please download, complete and submit the LaSalle County EMA Volunteer Application.
Below is more information on RACES. If you have any questions about RACES, Weather Spotting, Amateur Radio or Emergency Communications, please contact me, Joe Tokarz KB9EZZ, email: Kb9ezz@arrl.net
RACES is provided for in Part 97 of the Federal Communications Commission rules and regulations governing amateur radio in the United States. RACES members, volunteer Amateur Radio Operators, operate in support of the LaSalle County Emergency Management Agency during a declared emergency, including natural and man-made hazardous situations.
Volunteers maintain preparedness through training and periodic communications exercises. During an emergency is the wrong time to get training.
Required Training
IS-100 Introduction to the Incident Command System (ICS) provides the foundation for higher level ICS training. This course describes the history, features and principles, and organizational structure of ICS. It also explains the relationship between ICS and the National Incident Management System (NIMS).
https://training.fema.gov/is/courseoverview.aspx?code=IS-100.c
IS-700 An Introduction to the National Incident Management System (NIMS) provides an overview of the NIMS. NIMS defines the comprehensive approach guiding the whole community - all levels of government, nongovernmental organizations (NGO), and the private sector - to work together seamlessly to prevent, protect against, mitigate, respond to, and recover from the effects of incidents. The course provides learners with a basic understanding of NIMS concepts, principles, and components.
https://training.fema.gov/is/courseoverview.aspx?code=IS-700.b
Other Training Opportunities
Storm Spotter training cover severe weather hazards including thunderstorms and tornadoes. This includes the general structure and movement of severe thunderstorms, identification of important storm features, and safety concerns. As a reminder, to stay active as a Skywarn volunteer, you must attend the training every other year, at a minimum, or you will be dropped from the roster.
NWS Chicago Storm Spotting sessions are listed at
https://www.weather.gov/lot/spotter_talk
SKYWARN® Spotter Training, for those who cannot attend NWS training, can complete the online classes at
https://www.meted.ucar.edu/training_course.php?id=23
IS-317: Introduction to Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT) educates individuals about disaster preparedness and trains and organizes teams of volunteers that can support their communities during disasters. The CERT Program offers training in basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue, and disaster medical operations. With proper CERT training, you can help protect your family, neighbors, and co-workers if a disaster occurs.
https://training.fema.gov/is/courseoverview.aspx?code=IS-317
AMATEUR RADIO NETS
First and Third Sunday 4:30 pm local 3.905 MHz (or 7.23 MHz) and Echolink WB0VTM-L
Sunday 7 pm local time on 147.12 MHz + 103.5 (Echolink W9MKS-R) or 146.55 Simplex
In addition to other training required by EMA, RACES members are encourage to continue their training outlined in these Task books:
Amateur Radio Emergency Service® (ARES) Standardized Training Plan Task Book
Auxiliary Communicators (AUXCOMM) Position Task Book
Sets the minimum criteria the states have identified as baselines standards for volunteer emergency backup communications training. Auxiliary Communications (AUXCOMM) is an all-inclusive term used to describe the many organizations and personnel that provide various types of communications support to emergency management, public safety, and other government agencies. This includes, but is not limited to amateur radio, military radio, citizens band radio (CB), etc. https://www.cisa.gov/comu-training-resources
