Amateur Radio Emergency Service

ARRL NTX Section Emergency Coordinator:
Mike Nelson, K5YX

Assistant Section Emergency Coordinators:
John Galvin, N5TIM
Joseph Martin, K5YFO
Fred Varian, WD5ERD

American Red Cross Liaison:

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

ARES Membership Requirements

Every licensed amateur, regardless of membership in ARRL or any other local or national organization is eligible to apply for membership in ARES. Every licensed amateur can participate in ARES nets within their license privileges, however, additional training and certification is required to participate fully in ARES.

The North Texas Section has adopted the West Gulf Division Standardized Training Plan.

Because ARES is an Amateur Radio program, only licensed radio amateurs are eligible for membership. The possession of emergency-powered equipment is desirable, but is not a requirement for membership.

Getting Started

Step One – Join ARES: Download and print the ARES application. Upon completion, submit the application to your local Emergency Coordinator (EC). You can find your local EC by clicking on your county or area on the map below.

Click here for the ARES application

Step Two – ARES Book Resources: If your EC hasn’t provided you with one, start your ARES binder. You can download and print all of the material at the ARES Book Resources page. That page contains the ARES Operator’s Manual, the Standardized ARES Taskbook adopted by the North Texas Section, and more.

Click here for ARES book resources

Step Three – ARES Training: Visit the ARES Training page and sign up for your FEMA SID (Student ID) number. Record that number in your ARES Taskbook, as you will need it to complete each of the required FEMA courses.

Click here for ARES training

Step Four – Participation: Participate with your local ARES group in training, nets, and activities.