RACES is one of two types of organizations for providing emergency
communications via amateur radio. The other is the Amateur Radio
Emergency Service. The difference between the two is that RACES is
actually defined in the FCC rules and is always sponsored by a government
agency, and ARES is not. ARES organizations are usually sponsored by
a radio club. In California the Governor's Office of Emergency Services is the sponsor of
RACES at the state level through what is called the
Auxillary Communciations Service
(ACS). ACS uses a commbination of amateur radio and
public safety radio systems. Jim has been involved with
Southern Region ACS
since the mid 1980's. Southern ACS has recently deployed for several
brush fires, the Alaska Airlines flight 261 crash off the coast of Oxnard,
Calif., and the 2000 Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles.