TO: ALL WOOD COUNTY EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS AMATEURS
ALL NON-WOOD COUNTY EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS AMATEURS
FROM: KEN HARRIS WA8LLM
WOOD COUNTY EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS INCORPORATED
WOOD COUNTY BULLETIN NR 14.09 DATE: March 2, 2014
SUBJECT: RACES AND THE "ONE HOUR" RULE
Did you know that RACES (Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service) has a "One Hour Rule"? When operating as a RACES group during any drills, exercises, or nets, you can only operate for a period of one hour per week.
There are all kinds of exercises for the communications volunteers in government service that a civil defense or emergency services director can authorize the RACES Radio Officer to utilize, to keep the interest of, and train, these volunteers. Any emergency preparedness exercise, bicycle races, major sporting events, fairs, parades, or special community events may be hours, or even days long.
Question: Doesn't the FCC one hour rule for the RACES preclude any drills or exercises that exceeds one hour?
Reply: Several states and counties have a long history of participating in hours-long events and do not run afoul of the one hour rule.
How? Avoid designating it formally as a RACES exercise. The net, drill, or exercise is not activated as a RACES event, but as a special event, or ARES (Amateur Radio Emergency Service) net or other appropriate title.
The one hour rule is to prevent the use of RACES for ongoing activities that should otherwise be provided for by government radio systems such as Police, Fire, Local Government and similar Radio Services. It was never intended, nor interpreted, to restrict RACES personnel from public service participation. What is important is that local government disaster preparedness officials authorize the activity to provide Workers Compensation coverage for the entire activity period. This helps a RACES organization stimulate the interest of its responders and provide valuable training opportunities.
Ken Harris WA8LLM
WCEC
Wood County WV