Columbus County ARES.
The Columbus County North Carolina Amateur Radio Emergency Services exists for one purpose: Provide communications during times of emergency.
We are comprised of trained amateur radio operators. During times of an emergency, such as an attack, a disaster, severe weather, etc., our skills, time, and equipment are volunteered in the service of the public, providing vital – sometimes lifesaving – communications where no other means of communication is available.
Members of our organization live in and around Whiteville, N.C., and are very familiar with Columbus County, North Carolina. We meet the third Thursday of each month, at 7:00 p.m., at the Columbus County Emergency Operations Center in downtown Whiteville. All amateur radio operators are invited to attend our meetings, but those who wish to participate in ARES must apply through the ARES Emergency Coordinator, Mr. Dennis Chapman, K4JUU.
Locally the Columbus County ARES works with Columbus County emergency management, along with several other agencies including Homeland Security, the Red Cross, National Weather Service at Wilmington, FEMA, to assure the safety and welfare of the citizens of our county should the need arise.
We are comprised of trained amateur radio operators. During times of an emergency, such as an attack, a disaster, severe weather, etc., our skills, time, and equipment are volunteered in the service of the public, providing vital – sometimes lifesaving – communications where no other means of communication is available.
Members of our organization live in and around Whiteville, N.C., and are very familiar with Columbus County, North Carolina. We meet the third Thursday of each month, at 7:00 p.m., at the Columbus County Emergency Operations Center in downtown Whiteville. All amateur radio operators are invited to attend our meetings, but those who wish to participate in ARES must apply through the ARES Emergency Coordinator, Mr. Dennis Chapman, K4JUU.
Locally the Columbus County ARES works with Columbus County emergency management, along with several other agencies including Homeland Security, the Red Cross, National Weather Service at Wilmington, FEMA, to assure the safety and welfare of the citizens of our county should the need arise.
But... why ARES? We have cell phones, Twitter, Facebook, etc., etc.
Again ... we are COMMUNICATORS. Our sole purpose, other than the hobby of radio, is to provide backup communications in the event of a state or national emergency. There have been times when normal radio communications are disrupted. There will be times when cell phones are unavailable, when internet is down, etc. "When all else fails, AMATEUR RADIO."
To become an ARES member with the Columbus County group you must:
To become an ARES member with the Columbus County group you must:
- Hold a valid FCC-issued Amateur Radio License.
- Complete FEMA courses - ICS 100, 200, and 700, and be willing to do more as they are updated and added. Please see the FEMA page on this website for direct links to these courses. They are free of charge and can be done online, at your convenience.
- Regularly attend our monthly meetings.
- Regularly attend the weekly net for additional training. Net is held each Monday at 8:30 p.m. / 0030 UTC on the W4WVL Whiteville, N.C., repeater at frequency 147.210 MHz.