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Livingston County ARES/RACES

The Livingston County Amateur Radio Public Service Corps. (L.C.A.R.P.S.C.) was formed to bring all of the amateur radio disciplines of ARES/RACES/SKYWARN and under the leadership of the Livingston County Amateur Radio Emergency Coordinator and to better provide for amateur radio emergency and public service communications.

In 1999 the amateur radio ARES/RACES station located at the Livingston County Sheriff Department was moved to the Livingston County Amateur Radio Public Service Corp radio communication room within in the Livingston County 911 Central Dispatch/Emergency Management Department.

The Livingston County Amateur Radio Emergency Coordinator (EC) was appointed by the ARRL Michigan Section Emergency Coordinator in cooperation with the Livingston County Emergency Program Manager. The EC shall recruit and train amateur radio operators to provide amateur radio emergency and public service communications for Livingston County.

The amateur radio community within Livingston County has had a long-standing relationship with the Livingston County Emergency Management system. The county's Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) and Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES) had been tasked in the Emergency Operation Plans with providing backup emergency communications for volunteer organizations, county departments and public safety agencies. Also a part of the Emergency Operations Plans is SKYWARN.

Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) consists of licensed amateurs who have voluntarily registered their qualifications and equipment for Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) consists of licensed amateurs who have voluntarily registered their qualifications and equipment for communications duty in the public service when disaster strikes. Every licensed amateur, regardless of membership in ARRL or any other local or national organization, is eligible for membership in the ARES. The only qualification, other than possession of an Amateur Radio license, is a sincere desire to serve.

Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES) is administered by local, county and state emergency management agencies, and supported by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) of the United States government, is a part of the Amateur Radio Service that provides radio communications for civil-preparedness purposes only, during periods of local, regional or national civil emergencies. These emergencies are not limited to war-related activities, but can include natural disasters such as fires, floods and earthquakes.

SKYWARN is the NWS national program of trained volunteer severe weather spotters. SKYWARN volunteers support their local community and government by providing the NWS with timely and accurate severe weather reports. These reports, when integrated with modern NWS technology, are used to inform communities of the proper actions to take as severe weather threatens. SKYWARN, formed in the early 1970's, has historically provided critical severe weather information to the NWS in time to get appropriate warnings issued. Thus the key focus of the SKYWARN program is to save lives and property through the use of the observations and reports of trained volunteers.

The stations capabilities include local VHF/UHF and long distance voice radio frequencies. The station has digital capabilities such as packet and pactor radio. These digital capabilities provide the ability to send data in written form.