The Travis County Amateur Radio Emergency Services (TCARES) provides emergency communications to several served agencies with the motto “When All Else Fails”.
Monthly meetings are held the 4th Tuesday of the month. Meetings are in-person and online. Please join the TCARES Mailing List for invites and information.
We hold a weekly net each week, check out our Voice Net page for details and information.
Our Primary Agencies
TCARES Operates and service Travis County, located in Austin, Texas.
The American Red Cross in addition to providing back-up communications as needed, TCARES maintains a radio room, and antennas at the Red Cross Facility (located on Pershing Drive).
Weather nets are activated any time a severe weather warning is issued for Travis County. Weather reports according to SkyWarn guidelines are reported through the WX net to the NWS, all area EOCs, and all Austin TV stations through a controlled chat room.
Other Agencies
ARCHES (Amateur Radio Communication Hospitals Emergency System) provides back-up voice and packet communications between 15 area hospitals and the Emergency Operations Center
ADRN (Austin Disaster Recovery Network) – supplements ham radio operations to needs assessment and disaster recovery efforts
CTECC (Combined Transportation, Emergency, and Communications Center) – ARES equips and mans a radio room connected to the EOC that commands all emergencies in the city and county
Infrastructure Awareness gathers information on the functionality of basic infrastructure and provides that information through MARS to the Department of Defense and Homeland Security in the event of terrorist or cyber attack
Natural Disasters can make communications infrastructure inoperable, non-functional or overloaded. ARES provides back-up communications locally, in adjacent counties or regionally with the Austin Rapid Response Team
Want to help?
If you are interested in supporting one or more of these served agencies, please join us on our weekly nets or monthly meetings.
OPERATIONAL PRIORITIES
1. INSURE TCARES VOLUNTEER SAFETY
2. Protect life and property
3. Provide effective and efficient emergency communications resources
4. Collect and quickly disseminate accurate situational awareness to assist decision making by emergency managers and served agencies
5. Support rapid and effective emergency response
6. Support mass care and temporary sheltering efforts
7. Support transition from response to recovery
8. Coordinate media inquiries through the ARES Public Information Officer
9. Provide accurate tracking and reporting of ARES volunteer activities