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Amateur Radio W4EZ "Whiskey Four Echo Zulu" Orange County NC ARES®

ARES® consists of national, state and local organizations of Amateur Radio operators who use their own equipment and their communications skills to provide a backup radio network that FUNCTIONS...

...WHEN ALL ELSE FAILS!
(Click here if you need convincing.)

North Carolina ARES® is organized into three geographic branches.   Each branch is further divided into groups of counties called areas.  Orange County is a part of NC ARES® Area 10 in the Central Branch of the state.  The other counties in Area 10 are:

• Alamance
• Davidson
• Durham
• Guilford
• Montgomery
• Randolph

Orange County ARES® provides the leadership, organization, training and infrastructure (in cooperation with the Orange County Radio Amateurs) necessary to ensure volunteer emergency and public service communications to support Orange County Emergency Services and other community and regional organizations when normal communication methods are inadequate.

The success of Orange County ARES® is shown by a progressive increase in registered members' training, capabilities and participation; evaluation of performance in drills and events; and formal relationships established with served agencies.

Orange County ARES® assures success by maintaining an organization with focus on its goals and a vision toward excellence of Amateur Radio emergency communications teams.  We have close working relationships with:

• Orange County CERT
• Orange County Emergency Services
• Orange County Chapter of The American Red Cross
• University of North Carolina hospital system

If you're not an Amateur Radio operater at present but wish to learn more, here's the link to the website of the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), which is the national organization for Amateur Radio in the USA.  The ARRL's website contains much useful information to help you prepare for your license exam and find an upcoming test session located near you.  If you're an Orange County ham who would like to join us, here's the application to become a member of Orange County ARES®.

Here are the NIMS courses that you should complete in order to obtain certification to help us provide emergency communications for Orange County in a responder or support position.  These free courses can be completed on line using the links provided:

• ICS-100  "Introduction to Incident Command System" IS100
• ICS-200  "Incident Command System for Single Resources and Initial Action Incidents" IS200
• ICS-700A  "National Incident Management System (NIMS), An Introduction" IS700A
• ICS-800  "National Response Framework, An Introduction" IS800

In addition, you should complete these free courses below to be certified as an EOC Operator.  (Note that ICS300 and 400 are classroom courses, and we will make the class schedules available to Orange County ARES members):

• ICS-300  "Intermediate Incident Command System for Expanding Incidents"
• ICS-400  "Advanced Incident Command System, Command and General Staff-Complex Incidents"

North Carolina ARES® Key Personnel:

• NC ARES® Section Emergency Coordinator:
  
  • Bernie Nobles WA4MOK

• NC Central Branch Assistant Emergency Coordinator:
  
  • Tom Brown N4TAB

• NC ARES® Area 10 District Emergency Coordinator:
  
  • John LeMay KB4WGA

• Orange County NC ARES® Emergency Coordinator:
  
  • Laurie Meier N1YXU

• Orange County NC ARES® Assistant Emergency Coordinators:
  
  • Steve Ahlbom W3AHL (Training)
  • Dan Eddleman KR4UB (Logistics)
  • Ken Kauffmann KR4FM (Operations)
  • Bruce Meier N1LN (Administration)
  • Dave Snyder W4SAR (Liaison)
  • Woody Woodward K3VSA (Public Information Officer)

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Updated 10/22/2009, send corrections to webmaster "at" ncocra "dot" org