Mission Statement

How we accomplish our mission

Wood County Emergency Communications Inc. (WCEC) is an all-volunteer Non-Profit organization formed July 14th, 1983 to provide back-up and overload communications to all Public Safety (Fire, Police, Rescue, Hospital, Ambulance, Red Cross, Etc.) agencies when normal communications are overloaded or non-existent during Natural and/or Man-made Emergencies or Disasters and drills. WCEC is a tax exempt organization under Federal IRS 501c3.
Members of WCEC work on a regular basis to study communication procedures, design, build, train, and work on communications equipment and networks that may be needed when emergencies and/or disasters happen. In addition, several members of WCEC train as severe weather spotters and are registered with the National Weather Service in the National SKYWARN Program.
WCEC maintains a 2-meter Amateur Radio repeater that operates on 147.255 MHz with multiple remote receivers. The repeater is designed to provide Hand-Held or Walkie-talkie coverage throughout the serving area. A digital Emergency Packet Radio system known as DAREN ( Digital Amateur Radio Emergency Network) was developed to provide text communications State Wide. The DAREN system has been recognized and approved by the West Virginia State Office of Emergency Services. For more Information on the DAREN system check out The History of DAREN.
Members of WCEC are not only Amateur Radio Operators, but they also train and can communicate on Public Safety frequencies. WCEC members can operate as radio and telephone operators and as dispatchers. They also train in the National Incident Management System (NIMS), which provides a consistent nationwide template to enable federal, state and local governments, nongovernmental organizations, and the private sector to work together to protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate the effects of incidents.
WCEC coordinates and helps provide Safety Communications for various public service activities such as the GE Race for Safety road run, the Parkersburg Half Marathon road run, the Brundage Schoolboy Regattas, the Lubeck Fun Run, the Challenge at Mountwood bike race, the West Virginia 10K Mountain Classic Road Race and the Ohio River Sweep. Other public service activities are line-ups for the Parkersburg Homecoming Parade, and the Parkersburg Christmas Parade.
WCEC personnel can be recognized and identified in two ways. During most emergency activities, disasters, and drills, WCEC personnel should be wearing an Orange Vest with the word COMMUNICATIONS on the front and back. When these vests are not available, appropriate safety gear should be worn. All WCEC personnel are issued an ID CARD which has a picture of the member and an expiration date.
Some members of WCEC regularly attend Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) meetings, Fire Fighters Association meetings and Regional Interoperability Committee meetings to keep informed of every aspect of providing back-up and emergency communications for Public Safety organizations.

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