The Liberty County Emergency Management Agency may activate teams of local FCC-licensed radio amateurs (known colloquially as “Hams”) who have voluntarily registered their qualifications and equipment for communications duty in the public service when disaster strikes.
The Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES) is a standby radio service provided for in Part 97.407 of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rules and regulations governing amateur radio in the United States. The Amateur Radio Emergency Service® (ARES) consists of licensed amateurs who have voluntarily registered their qualifications and equipment, with their local ARES leadership, for communications duty in the public service when disaster strikes.
These amateur radio operators are trained in radio traffic handling (emergency, health and welfare, requests for resources, and supplies), ICS/NIMS, and ESF2 policies and procedures. Emergency management conducts a weekly practice net and monthly meeting that include training sessions.
In Central City, the RACES group is called the CC Repeaters. They are comprised of 15 volunteers. Liberty County has an ARES team called the Columbia Radio Hams. They have 36 volunteer members located throughout the county. They have an interoperable network that can communicate with the CC Repeaters. Both groups have signed a Memorandum of Understanding that they would mobilized when directed and can be operational two hours post notification.
The EOC has VHF (2m) and UHF (440) FM radio equipment for local communications (in-county), including voice, digital data (packet), Echolink, and Winlink2K messaging, HF radio equipment for the 80m to 10m bands, including digital (RTTY, PSK31, WinLink2K), Slow Scan TV, Voice (SSB) and Morse Code (CW) for regional, national, and international communications. The group also sponsors a 2m FM repeater system that operates on 146.76 -600 (no tone) using the call sign WB40mm. This repeater provides countywide coverage and has phone patch and Echolink access. The local CERT group also maintains a 2m repeater in Central City that operates on 147.15 +600 (no tone) with the call sign of KJ4PNA.
All shelters within the county are supplied with a VHF 2m antenna system. Some locations, such as hospitals and municipal buildings other than shelters, have installed 2m FM radio units. The two-meter system is used primarily to communicate between agencies and shelters. Many of the hospital units have digital capabilities such as PSK-31, WinLink2k, and NBEMS.
In addition, there are also other amateur radio groups that support specific non-profit organizations (e.g. SATERN for The Salvation Army or ARCCOM for the American Red Cross) that may request permission to share time on one or more of the repeaters or operate on other amateur radio frequencies. These groups regularly exchange information with the county EOC and may participate in emergency management communications exercises.
Many amateur radio operators are also trained “severe weather spotters” through a program called SKYWARN, which is offered in partnership with the National Weather Service (NWS). SKYWARN program participants include amateur radio operators and volunteer fire departments as well as ordinary citizens that report specific severe weather observations by phone or e-mail. Amateur radio operators, by and large, are the largest component of SKYWARN. When severe weather strikes trained amateur radio operators relay reports and impacts via the established net, which is monitored by NWS personnel.
Citizen’s Band (CB) Channel 9 is monitored in the EOC. There is a local CB Club that is active; FRS and GMRS radios are also available (there are a few units in the EOC and some government buildings) but there is no active support group in Liberty County. These radios have limited range (about 1 mile).