EMC289 RACES HISTORY
To:   Emergency Communications Units - Information Bulletin
To:   Emergency Management Agencies via Internet and Radio
By:   Auxiliary Communications Service (ACS) of the
      California Governor's Office of Emergency Services  

EMC289 RACES HISTORY        Release 5/14/01

This series responds to repeated requests to cover the overall
topic of RACES operations; hopefully to clear up some of the
misunderstandings.

RACES - Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service - is a SERVICE
authorized in the FCC regulations, just as there are other
SERVICES allowed, such as for law or fire services. The words
are as follows:
   
   PART 97--AMATEUR RADIO SERVICE
      Subpart A--General Provisions
      Sec. 97.3  Definitions.
         (a) The definitions of terms used in part 97 are:

         (2) Amateur radio services. The amateur service, the 
         amateur-satellite service and the radio amateur civil
         emergency service.

         (35) RACES (radio amateur civil emergency service). 
         A radio service using amateur stations for civil
         defense communications during periods of local,
         regional or national civil emergencies.

RACES was made part of the FCC regulations August 15, 1952, and
reflected experience from 60 years ago, when in l941 with the
onset of World War 2, Amateur Radio activities had been shutdown.

By the l950's it had been determined that, to adequately support
the expanding civil defense program and mission, it would be
necessary to allow certain Amateur licensees to remain on the air
in a national emergency (war powers act, etc.). Thus the RACES
was born. Essentially the rules were written to allow the RACES
service to operate (as such) if ever again a national crisis
caused the general suspension of Amateur Radio operations. 

From the notes of Stanly Harter, RACES Coordinator for California
from 1985-1998 we read: "The original idea was to meet perceived
needs of the Federal CIVIL DEFENSE Administration. In it's early
years RACES was supported and promoted in a way that no longer
exists. FEMA's predecessors, Department of the Army - Office of
Civil Defense and the Defense Civil Preparedness Agency, provided
RACES planning guidance and Federal matching funds, to a degree.

Whereas FEMA is still chartered to do so, FEMA (DCPA) abandoned
its coordinative role in the Seventies when a RIF (Reduction in
the federal work Force) eliminated the Radio Officer positions in
each of their ten Regions. Whereas I learned that some qualified
individuals volunteered to carry on at FEMA Regions, volunteers
were not accepted in FEMA in this vital area.

The states and local governments were effectively left to fend for
themselves. This did not play well because there was no national
RACES consortium, association, or platform from which to exchange
ideas, interests and solutions. Many states followed FEMA's dubious
lead and the position of State Radio Officer disappeared or became
simply an ineffective titular figurehead." (end of quote)

(Harter had been State RACES Coordinator in Hawaii for many years
before coming to California, so was speaking from personal
hands-on experience. He also was not happy with what he felt was
the "l970's emasculation of RACES by an organization where he said
"it was common knowledge it wanted to do away with the RACES".)

Across 50 years, RACES withered and died in some areas, survived in
others. The reasons vary, but in general, the difference has been
the way the local SPONSORING local government handled the RACES
as a tool of that government. The next two bulletins will describe
successful and unsuccessful units and some reasons why.

 Cary Mangum, W6WWW        E-mail: cary.mangum@macnexus.org
                           ---
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EOM