Huntington Beach RACES

RACES, pronounced RAY-sees, stands for Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service. RACES is an organization of amateur radio operators who volunteer to provide radio communications for State and local governments in times of emergency. Created in 1952 primarily to serve in civil defense emergencies, RACES provides essential communications and warning links to supplement State and local government assets during emergencies.

RACES is a special part of the amateur operation sponsored by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). RACES provides emergency communications for civil preparedness purposes only. RACES is conducted by amateurs using their primary station licenses or by existing RACES stations. In the event that the President invokes the War Emergency powers, amateurs officially enrolled in the local civil preparedness group would become limited to certain frequencies, while all other amateur operations would be silenced.

Huntington Beach RACES personnel are public safety volunteers with valid FCC Amateur Radio licenses who have been trained to assist the City of Huntington Beach during times of emergency and disaster, or for routine events and activities. HB RACES is not an Amateur Radio club. It is a volunteer team within a government agency, the Office of Emergency Services. HB RACES personnel are certified by the State of California as Disaster Service Workers and are trained and certified to provide public safety communications support.

The City of Huntington Beach RACES organization is administered by Huntington Beach Fire Department Emergency Services Office. There are 18 individual city RACES groups within Orange County and OC RACES operated under their respective City & County emergency management departments. Using the Standardized Emergency Management System (SEMS) the CA Office of Emergency Service (CAOES) adds additional support during wide scale disasters. HB RACES volunteers are provided OES Workers Comprehensive Insurance during a disaster or during approved training.

What do we do?

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We, as FCC licensed Amateur Radio operators, are public safety volunteers who have been trained to assist the City of Huntington Beach during times of emergency and disaster, or for routine events and activities. We are not an Amateur Radio club. We are a volunteer team within a government agency, the State of California Office of Emergency Services. We are certified by the State of California as Disaster Service Workers and are trained and certified to provide public safety communications support in various manners.

Our priorities during a disaster are as follows.

• Impact Assessment or Windshield Surveys.
• Establish RACES Net Control in the City’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC).
• Backup communications for Fire, Police, Public Works, and Marine Safety.
• Provide School Communication.
• Provide City Facility Communications.
• Establish Shelter Communications.
• Receive CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) Neighborhood Reports.
• Provide ATV (Amateur Television) and SSTV (Slow Scan Television) during emergencies.
• Photo Documentation.
• Monitor EOC-to-EOC radio when EOC is activated.
• Provide monthly check and maintenance of EOC Satellite Phone.
• Provide Mutual Aid assistance to other cities or the County, and Special Assignments as needed.

What have we done?

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Special Events (Public Service/Outreach, Training):

• Pacific Shoreline Marathon.
• Distance Derby.
• Annual Challenge Cup, Baker to Vegas.
• Orange County Fair, Amateur Radio Booth.
• Annual Schools Emergency Disaster Drill Communications.
• Bolsa Chica Run for the Birds Charity/ Fund Raising Event.
• Annual County-wide SET Drill.
• ARRL Field Day.
• Equestrian Shows.
• March of Dimes Walk America.
• JOTA (Boy Scouts Jamboree on the Air).
• Huntington Beach Fire Fest.
• Fire Department Shadow Drills.
• Multiple Sclerosis Walkathon.
• Orange County EOC ATV Training.
• Orange County RACES Loma Ridge Net Control Certification.
• Weapons of Mass Destruction Exercises

Activations (Full or Standby):

• American Trader Offshore Oil Spill , Feb. 1990.
• 9/11/2001 Terrorist Attack, HF communications link for City employees and families into the stricken area.
• American Red Cross shelter communications (localized City emergencies). (4/28/03 neighborhood gas leak)
• Y2K Millennium Watch.
• El Nino Flooding, Dec. 1997.
• Major Flooding Incident, Feb. 1995.
• Fourth of July, HB Parade and Fire Department Dispatch Assistance.
• EOC to EOC Communications.
• During Orange County disasters, HB RACES will be requested to provide American Red Cross primary emergency communications for the safety and welfare of Huntington Beach evacuated residents. This would provide resources of the American Red Cross to those affected by disaster.
• Fire Department Radio Outage, Sept. 2004.
• Oil Overspray Incident, Mar, 2004.

CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) Relationship:

• Certified Communicator Training/Elmering.

• 800 MHz Trunked Radio System.
• Fire Department Dispatching.

Visual Reconnaissance for HB Fire and Police Departments:

• Slow Scan Television: (rover and aerial platforms)
• Amateur Television: (rover and aerial platforms)

Mobil Communications Van

• Full service communications vehicle.

Orange County RACES Mutual Aid

• Election Day Support
• La Palma Days Civic event