The terms ARES®, Amateur Radio Emergency Service® and their logos are registered marks of the American Radio Relay League, Incorporated and used by permission.
RACES & SHARES
Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service &
SHAred RESources (SHARES) High Frequency (HF) Radio Program
2024 Hamfest RACES Presentation
RACES stands for “Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service,” a protocol created by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC Part 97, Section 407). Many government agencies across the country train their Auxiliary Communications Service (ACS) volunteers using the RACES protocol. The volunteers serve their respective jurisdictions pursuant to guidelines and mandates established by local emergency management officials.
RACES volunteer operators are:
- Licensed Radio Amateurs
- Certified by a civil defense agency
- Able to communicate on Amateur Radio frequencies during drills, exercises and emergencies
- Activated by local, county and state jurisdictions and are the only Amateur Radio operators authorized to transmit during declared emergencies when the President of the United States specifically invokes the War Powers Act.
National Incident Management System: Protocols embraced by RACES volunteers across the nation include the National Incident Management System (NIMS), which provides a consistent nationwide template to enable federal, state and local governments, nongovernmental organizations, and the private sector to work together to protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate the effects of incidents.
NIMS Resource Center NIMS Compliant Training Chart FEMA Independent Study Program (ISP)
Resource Documents: Title 47 is an FCC rule and NTIA is the National Telecommunications and Information Administration
Title 47 Part 97 97.407 Title 47 Chapter II Part 214 NTIA Authorized Frequency Usage NTIA Emergency Readiness Planning
Additional Resource Documents:
FEMA Guidance for RACES
FEMA Developing and Maintaining EOPs
FEMA Amateur “Ham” Radio For Emergency Managers
FEMA EOC Quick Reference Guide
Register for a FEMA Student Identification Number (SID)
FEMA NIMS/ICS Online Courses
NIFOG National Interoperability Field Operations Guide
AUXFOG Auxiliary Communications Field Operations Guide
MISSISSIPPI RACES APPLICATION FORMS IN PDF AND DOCX FORMAT. FILL OUT AS MUCH INFORMATION AS YOU CAN.
These forms are submitted to the emergency management agency in your county or location by you, your local RACES Officer, or a representative of your club or ARES group.
Once signed by your local Emergency Management Official, they retain the original and should give you a copy of the signed, approved application. Please email RACES@msares.com with your name, city or town, county, amateur call sign, emergency management agency name, and your email address. This is required for reporting to the MEMA Director.
In the 5 counties of the Central MS ARES Group you may submit the applications to the Rankin County RACES Officer or Rankin County Emergency Coordinator for delivery to Rankin Co. Emergency Management.
Mississippi RACES Application — pdf format
Mississippi RACES Application — docx format
SHAred RESources (SHARES) High Frequency (HF) Radio Program
Information on the Department of Homeland Security SHARES Radio Program.
SHARES Radio Program Administered by DHS
SHARES Documents
SHARES FAQ
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