CURRENT ACTIVATION STATUS: RECON 0 - Normal

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🚨 TCARES Operations

Supporting Our Community When It Matters Most

When disaster strikes or communication systems fail, TCARES volunteers step in to provide vital radio communications in support of public safety, emergency management, and disaster response agencies throughout Thurston County, Washington.

Our mission is to deliver reliable, resilient, and coordinated communications during incidents ranging from weather emergencies and wildfires to community events and public health responses.

🧭 Our Operational Role

TC ARES operates under the authority of the Thurston County Emergency Coordinator (EC) and works in cooperation with:

Thurston County Emergency Management
Local fire, law enforcement, and EMS agencies
Washington State RACES
Hospitals, Red Cross, and other NGOs
Washington State Department of Transportation
Neighboring ARES and EMCOMM groups

We are activated by request, operate under predefined protocols, and deploy trained operators where they’re needed most — whether in an EOC, at a shelter, or in the field.

📡 Communications Capabilities

Our team supports a wide range of tactical and strategic communications modes:

- Voice Nets (Simplex and Repeater) - Operate tactical and formal traffic nets on VHF/UHF
- Digital Messaging (Winlink, FLDigi, APRS) - Send ICS forms, hospital status reports, and situational data via radio
- HF Communications - Coordinate with state and regional partners via 80m/40m/60m HF nets
- Go-Kits & Field Deployments - Set up portable stations for shelter support, event coordination, or off-grid operations
- Cross-Agency Liaison - Provide communications links between agencies with incompatible systems

📄 Standard Operating Procedures

To ensure clarity and effectiveness during real-world incidents, TCARES follows:

Thurston County ARES Training and Operations Manual (TOM)
ICS protocols and form usage (e.g., ICS-213, ICS-309)
Net control procedures for directed nets and drills

🔗 Download the TC ARES Training and Operations Manual (Groups.io login required)

🧪 Drills & Exercises

TCARES members participate in regular exercises to sharpen skills and maintain readiness, including:

Simulated Emergency Test (SET) - ARRL Simulated Emergency Test Information
Great Shakeout earthquake and tsunami drill - Great Washington Shakeout information
ARRL Field Day - ARRL Field Day Information
Winter storm response simulations
Shelter and hospital communications tests
Simulated power and network outages
Skywarn and wildfire net activations

We also support communications during public service events, helping to improve response coordination and field deployment practices.

🚦Activation Process

The first rule of TCARES…

Before responding to any TCARES activation or deployment request, each member must first ensure that their home, family, and personal responsibilities are safe and secure.

ARES is built on the principle that emergency communicators must not become part of the emergency. A responder whose mind is occupied with concerns about family safety or home security cannot fully commit to their assignment, and may inadvertently compromise both their safety and the effectiveness of the mission.

Every TCARES member is strongly encouraged to have a personal and family emergency plan in place—covering shelter, communication, transportation, medical needs, and contingencies—so that, when called upon, they can respond confidently, knowing their loved ones are cared for.

✅ "Take care of your home front first—so you can serve others without hesitation or distraction."

No deployment is ever mandatory. If your situation prevents you from responding, you are still a valued member of the team.

Readiness Condition Levels

TCARES uses a standardized Readiness Condition system (RECON levels) to guide member posture and response. These levels communicate the operational status of TCARES and expectations for member behavior during both exercises and real incidents.

RECON 0 - Normal: No emergency, routine conditions. Members are reminded to monitor primary frequencies, attend nets and maintain readiness
RECON 1 - Alert: Notification of potential activation. Possible incident in the near future. Members are directed to review go-kits and monitor primary frequencies and alert channels.
RECON 2 - Standby: Incident likely or developing. Activation is imminent. Members are directed to prepare for deployment, confirm availability, and check-in on air.
RECON 3 - ACTIVATE: TCARES is activated. Full activation. Members to deploy to assigned locations or the EOC and begin operational duties, as directed by TCARES Leadership team.
RECON 4 - Secure: Mission complete or cancelled. Demobilization. Emergency has ended; members are released from duty and should be prepared to conduct post-oparation reviews.

Activation Triggers

TCARES may be activated under the direction of the Emergency Coordinator (EC), Assistant ECs, or TCEM due to:

Request for support from a served agency (e.g., TCEM, WSDOT, Public Health, Red Cross)
Severe weather event (e.g., flooding, wind storm, earthquake, volcano eruption)
Large public safety incident (e.g., wildfires, chemical spills, mass casualty)
Communications infrastructure disruption (e.g., loss of landline, cellular or internet services)
Scheduled training drills and exercises
Requests for mutual aid from neighboring ARES or RACES organizations

Alert Process

Alerting and activation notifications may be delivered via:

TCARES/RACES Alert Roster (SMS, phone call, email)
Amateur radio announcements on primary repeaters
TCARES Net activation - members are expected to monitor primary and secondary frequencies
Direct EC contact or delegation via designated incident command structure
TC Alert public alerting system

Upon receiving an alert or activation notification, members should:

Acknowledge receipt via designated method
Monitor TCARES primary frequencies
Prepare equipment and personal go-kits
Await further instructions regarding assignment or assembly

Self-Activation Guidelines

TCARES members may self-activate in specific, limited scenarios where:

They observe or experience a significant emergency (e.g., earthquake, volcano eruption, flood, wildfire, large-scale power/communication outage) before formal activation instructions have been issued, AND
They are unable to contact the EC, AECs or served agencies, AND
They reasonably believe that immediate communications support may be needed in the interest of public safety, or to support served agency operations.

Self-activation is not routine and should be used ONLY when absolutely necessary, and within the member’s training, licensing and safety limits.

REMEMBER TCARES ARE COMMUNICATORS, NOT EMERGENCY RESPONDERS!

More information about TCARES Operations is available in the TCARES Training and Operations Manual.

📬 For questions about deployment or operations, contact the EC or AEC-Operations at wa7oly@gmail.com

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