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ARES Membership Requirements

Every licensed amateur, regardless of membership in ARRL or any other local or national organization is eligible to apply for membership in ARES. Simply fill out the application form and forward it to your local EC (in Rusk County it's W5CWT). In North Texas, training is required to participate fully in ARES. Most training is free of charge and available online. Visit the ARES training page for more information. Because ARES is an Amateur Radio program, only licensed radio amateurs are eligible for membership. The possession of emergency-powered equipment is desirable, but is not a requirement for membership.

What do I need to be an Emergency Communication volunteer?
  • You need to be trained. In order to provide support in the event of an emergency—or even in a non-emergency situation—you need to have the proper training and licensing. Learn more about the ARRL Emergency Communications Training course.
  • You need to be equipped with sustaining skills. What if when you get to a location, there is no food and the sleeping conditions are undesirable? Before you leave on your assignment, you need to make sure you have coping skills that enable you to be able to do your job operating under the conditions you are assigned to—from hardship conditions to making sure you’re able to work the equipment.
  • You need to prepare your family for your absence. Although most volunteers only serve locally, there may be an opportunity to serve in another region, state or even another country. When you leave home and head for a disaster area, your family has to be both physically and mentally able to cope. After a disaster, when a volunteer comes home, he or she can be confronted by some mental health issues, for which there are several resources. Many volunteers experience everything from fatigue or exhaustion to depression.

Locally, Rusk County is part of District 8 within the North Texas Section.

Contacts
District Emergency Coordinator
District 8 Website
(Upshur, Marion, Gregg, Harrison, Rusk, Panola, Nacogdoches & Shelby Counties)
Jo Ann Kieth (KA5AZK)

Section Emergency Coordinator
Chris Ebert (NA0D)

Assistant Section Emergency Coordinators
John Galvin (N5TIM), Jerry Goodson (W5BFF), Greg Evans (K5GTX), Dale Finley (KB5NFT), Joseph Martin (K5YFO)
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