The Miami-Dade Department of Emergency Management has established a Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES) group to help during disasters and large scale planned events. The Amateur Radio operators play an integral part in the Emergency Management field from the preplanning stages to the recovery stages. Through their network of service partners, the unit can pull resources and redirect where needed. Races members are the eyes and eyes on the ground during storms for the EOC and NWS.
Members may be placed in shelters, the Emergency Operations Center (EOC), Points of Distribution (POD) and other relevant support facilities.
Members may also be deployed to disaster zones across the state of Florida. Past deployments of the unit include Hurricanes Irma (2017), Michael (2018), Ian (2022) and Idalia (2023).
Application
New members are required to fill out the Application Packet linked below and email it to Lloyd Kurtzman at Lloyd.Kurtzman@Miamidade.gov
>>> RACES Volunteer Application Packet <<<
Applicants must meet the following requirements
· Must hold a valid FCC Amateur Radio License
· Must be at least 18 years old
· Must pass a Level II Background Check
· Participate in at least two Drills/Exercises a year
· Be able to deploy for a minimum of 72 Hours
Additionally applicants must take the following trainings
· ICS 100
· ICS 200
· ICS 700
· ICS 800
· WebEOC
While not required we strongly encourage applicants to complete the following
· South Florida ARES Level III Task Book
· ARRL EC-001 Course
· FEMA AuxComm (Aux-C) Course