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Santa Clara County ARES®/RACES

SCCo ARES/RACES Organization

SCCo ARES/RACES is the Santa Clara County organization of:

  • the Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES®)
    a non-governmental service run by the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), the national amateur radio association
  • the Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES)
    a government function under the FCC rules for amateur radio
  • the California Auxiliary Communications Service (ACS)
    a government function under the California Office of Emergency Services

Combining these three functions into a single organization keeps our served agencies from having to know the differences between them.

In accordance with the California Standardized Emergency Management System (SEMS), ARES/RACES activities are handled primarily at the local level (cities, agencies, and unincorporated areas). They handle:

  • membership rosters and qualifications
  • locality-specific training
  • locality-specific radio infrastructure
  • response to local calls for service

The county (in SEMS, “operational area”) organization supports the localities by handling:

  • county-wide training classes, drills, and exercises
  • operator performance standards, evaluations, and credentials
  • county-wide radio infrastructure
  • communications at county facilities (such as its emergency operations center)
  • mutual aid between the localities