Agency Details:

The Yellowstone Amateur Radio Emergency Service provides free emergency communications to the general public and select 'served agencies' in Yellowstone County. These services are usually provided during times of man-made or natural disruption in the normal communications systems. We are normally 'called-out' for these events through the county Disaster and Emergency Service (DES) office. To keep trained and prepared to deliver those communication services, we volunteer to provide health and safety communications for dozens of runs, marathons, cycling races, and other events that can benefit from our services.

Description:
YARES uses exclusive, non-commercial radio channels in the Amateur Radio Service for communications. The use of these frequencies requires an FCC license, which can be obtained locally. Training for the exam, and the actual exam itself, is provided every 'odd' month of the year in Billings. The class is free; the cost of the FCC exam is currently $15. YRC and YARES are very happy to help volunteers obtain their FCC license, and also provide training classes in 'proper use of a 2-way radio' - among other trainings available. Our participation in races, walks, and runs is very good preparation for actual disaster communications situations.

History:
Our sponsoring local club, the Yellowstone Radio Club has been in continuous existence in Billings since 1956. The club has about 60 paid members currently, and the YARES group (which focusses on the emergency communications aspect of Amateur Radio) has about 25 active members to draw upon.

Contact people:

Ron Glass, Volunteer Coordinator, (phone), (email) Todd Gansel, Volunteer Coordinator, (phone), (email)

Address:

P.O. Box 883 Billings, MT 59103

Web Site: http://www.k7efa.org

Last updated on December 1, 2008