Up, Up and Away!
ARES D1 Member and Affiliate Goal Announced - We Want YOU!
Also, tell your friends, neighbors, co-workers and people you talk to on the two-way radio about our important mission, need for members and affiliates and our desire for them to be among our "extended family."
HEBRON, Ind. (Dec. 12, 2020) - To make Amateur Radio Emergency Service District 1 (ARES D1) a success, we need many volunteers to make it work as it should and to be viable and reliable.
Currently, we have Amateur (Ham) radio operators and we have National Weather Service trained SKYWARN weather spotters, and some people who are both. But we need many more people to join with us to reach a goal of at least 60 people on whom we can rely in times of emergency, disaster, and severe weather events, including tornadoes.
We now have people interested ARES D1 living in Lake, Porter, LaPorte and Jasper counties. What we don't have is YOU! Why not join with us? And, tell your friends and neighbors about us too.
Anyone with even an inexpensive "walkie talkie" like the kind purchased to use for camping, hikes, special events to talk to the family or even around the neighborhood can apply for affiliation with ARES D1. After all, "All disasters are local," therefore, all emergency communications should be too.
We also need for our friends in the GMRS world, as well as the FRS and MURS operators we who we already have a relationship with, to work closer with us so we can have a seamless, interoperable system that public safety (including emergency management), Red Cross, Salvation Army, the National Weather Service, and others can rely on.
Not yet a Ham, GMRS, FRS or MURS radio operator, or SKYWARN weather spotter? No problem, we offer mentoring and training opportunities along with our friends in Amateur Radio Clubs, GMRS groups, and at the National Weather Service.
Experience of other volunteer organizations has shown that at any given time, at least half of the active membership will be unavailable for one reason or another to participate in an activity on a given day. Assuming we reach the goal of 60 members, that leaves us with about 20-30 people that would likely be available in an emergency, severe weather event or exercise. That is why, “more is better!”
We make it simple to join! All it takes is for anyone free of a criminal conviction to complete the ARES D1 Registration Form (available for download on the Membership/Join page at www.aresd1.org)
Please spread the word wherever and whenever you get the opportunity about ARES D1 and refer people to our website at www.aresd1.com where they can get more information. If you know of, or come across, anyone with any interest at all in affiliating with us to do either communications, severe weather spotting or both, please direct them to our website (www.aresd1.com) and the point of contact email address (w1spy@arrl.net) so we can build our ranks, get people trained and fully capable to help us perform our mission and reach our goal.
To ensure we comply with the administrative requirements of the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), completion of the ARES D1 Registration Form (available for download on the Membership/Join page at www.aresd1.com) is all it takes for anyone free of a criminal conviction to join or affiliate with our group. We make it simple!