Amateur Radio Emergency Service® (ARES)

The Amateur Radio Emergency Service® (ARES) program is sponsored by the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), the Association for Amateur Radio. ARES is a corps of trained volunteers composed of amateur radio operators who are organized to assist in public service and emergency communications. The ARES program is a component of the ARRL Field Organization, which divides the United States into 71 administrative sections, each of which is an organizational unit managed by a Section Manager (SM) who appoints other Section officials, such as the Section Emergency Coordinator (SEC). In Virginia, the Section Emergency Coordinator has appointed Assistant Section Emergency Coordinators (ASECs) and District Emergency Coordinators (DECs) to assist with managing the ARES program at the state level. Some Districts have one or more Assistant District Emergency Coordinators (ADECs) to assist with management of the ARES program at the District level. Local management of the ARES program is handled by the Emergency Coordinators (ECs) and Assistant Emergency Coordinators (AECs). "When all else fails" is the motto of ARES as in many cases amateur radio communications are operational when other communications systems have been compromised. For more information, visit the ARRL website to learn more about ARES.