Amateur Radio Support for Emergency Operations

Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES) Program

The State of Texas is susceptible to the effects of both natural and man-made disasters. At times, state and/or local government resources are inadequate to effectively respond to such incidents. This can be especially true in the area of communications when normal day-to-day systems are used in support of widespread emergencies or disasters. Because of system outages or overcrowding by emergency traffic, normal communications systems may become unusable or inadequate to meet emergency or disaster response needs.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has authorized emergency management organizations to officially organize and employ radio amateurs to supplement state and local government communications systems during emergencies or disaster operations. The FCC advocates the principle that a fundamental basis and purpose of the Amateur Radio Service is to provide voluntary noncommercial emergency communications to the public. Amateur radio operators are often needed to assist in communications during an emergency.

For State of Texas specific info on Amateur Radio support, contact the State Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES) Officer (SRO), Kevin Lemon at (512) 424-2451 or (512) 424-2208