The ARES Group
ARES is an acronym for the Amateur Radio Emergency Services. The service is sponsored and directed by the American Radio Relay League, the national organization of amateur radio operators, which sets the standards for it’s membership and training. They coordinate their response efforts with its trained members to major disasters in this Country, Nationally and Abroad. The ARES Group utilizes the same 6 Regions that The Connecticut State’s Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security uses to serve its Cities and Townships during weather alerts, disasters or other. The local Group coordinates their Emergency Communications Skills and equipment in efforts to serve their local agencies needs in a time of disaster. They provide their expertise, knowledge and skills base in Radio Emergency Communications. They stand ready to provide trained communicators whenever they are requested or directed to do so.
Throughout the year the Connecticut ARES and Local Groups conducts Emergency Communications Exercises and Training Sessions on a regular basis with its membership. In addition to and when requested upon conduct joint training sessions with their serve agencies in a cooperative effort to further hone their skills and practice working together. Because of there training and understanding of what the served agencies needs are in a time of disaster a cooperative effort exists in their working relationships in disaster preparedness. The local served agencies may call upon the Group to augment or assist them with their agencies needs in Radio Emergency Communications. The American Red Cross may call upon the Group to assist them with Shelter Operations and Radio Communications to their Headquarters in Hartford about their needs in times of crisis. In addition, the local Regional ARES Group can be called upon to make notifications to the national organization to generate additional trained personnel and dispatch them in an organized manner to the marshalling point near the local scene. In this way the volunteers on site are not stretched beyond their capabilities.
The Stamford Amateur Radio Association and Club (SARA) support the Region 1 – West ARES Group as part of the Connecticut Amateur Radio Emergency Services. The region is part of the New York to Boston Corridor, our primary area of operational concerns for Emergency Communications are the Stamford, Darien and Greenwich Townships.
Leadership
The ARES Emergency Coordinator and Assistant for Region 1 – West are:
Frank Cassella, KB1IFX, EC
203 329 3068 / 203 968 9000
Jon Perlstein, KB1QBZ, AEC
203 912 3990
The Region 1, District Emergency Coordinator is:
Allan Valleo, NN1H
ARES Resources
Region 1 – West has 10 qualified and fully trained members that participate on a regular basis. Training includes radio operations under field conditions and a working familiarity with NIMS/ICS structure and procedures.
The City of Stamford upon request will ask the Region 1 – West Group to operate the SARA Amateur Radio equipment located at the Emergency Operations Center or back up site Sterling Farms with there are HF, VHF, and UHF equipment and capabilities.
The American Red Cross Darien/Stamford and Greenwich Chapters upon request will ask for assistance with Emergency Radio Communications support in their local shelters or CTWEB Emergency Operations Center where there are trained qualified members.
Marshalling Areas
At the Government Center’s lobby located at 888 Washington Blvd, Stamford, CT or as directed. The American Red Cross Darien/Stamford Chapter, 112 Prospect Street, 2nd Floor, Stamford, CT. The American Red Cross Greenwich, 99 Field Rd, Greenwich, CT
The Stamford EOC has HF, VHF and UHF capabilities. Monthly drills are conducted over the W1EE amateur radio repeaters system located at the Stamford Hospital and back repeater radio site at the Sterling Farms Golf Course. Annually and under field conditions the group conducts training with their Emergency Communications Equipment at Field Day a Nationwide Emergency Training Exercise to further practice their communication skills. All of the local area repeaters operate with back up uninterruptible power sources and back up batteries. They are frequently tested to insure their readiness for Emergency Communications should the need arise.
Area Repeaters
146.655/146.055 PL 100.0Hz W1EE/R Stamford (Primary)
447.125/442.125 PL 114.6Hz W1EE/R Stamford (Secondary)
146.775/147.175 PL 100.0Hz W1NLK/R Norwalk (Alt-Primary)
448.075/443.075 PL 114.6Hz W1NLK/R Norwalk (Alt-Secondary)
146.775/147.775 PL 100Hz W1FSM/R New Canaan (Reserve)
441.600/446.600 PL 100Hz WINLK DSTAR Network
145.030 1200 R7m RMSPacket EMCOMM/WINKLINK N1EZT-10/Norwalk
Simplex Communications:
146.540 REGIONAL SIMPLEX FREQUENCY
147.420 PL 100Hz
445.500 PL 100Hz
Emergency Operations Centers or Sterling Farms Auxiliary EOC
Stamford Government Center
American Red Cross Darien/Stamford Chapters Emergency Operations Location
American Red Cross Greenwich Chapter Emergency Operations Location
High Frequency Operation/Very High Frequency/Ultra High Frequency
HF/VHF/UHF
Members are available for Liaison to Statewide ARES Nets Field Deployment
J/S WB1GRB 9/9/09