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RACES seeking new members
By Meagan White, Contributing Writer
The next time an emergency strikes Rowlett, several of the city’s residents are ready to help, and they’re looking to find more.
The Rowlett Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Services, or RACES, has facilitated communication during emergencies such as storms, lost or missing persons, and evacuations, and the group has aided the fire department and the police since January 2001. As stated on its Web site, the RACES mission is “to provide amateur radio communications in support of emergency management entities throughout the United States and its territories.”
“Our primary role is to provide backup communications in emergency situations to any local, state, or federal entity,” said Ian DiFranco, assistant radio officer in charge of operations at Rowlett RACES. “In addition, we will assist any agency whenever we are called. This can mean something like assisting with fire watch during fireworks or providing communications for parades or other events.”
DiFranco, who has been with Rowlett RACES since 2005, is responsible for shadowing and assisting the radio officer. He is the second in command when it comes to managing the team in response to an incident.
DiFranco said two experiences experiences that stand out from his experience with RACES.
“One is where the team assisted the police and fire departments in a missing child search,” DiFranco said. “The other is when we were on a SKYWARN net and our reports resulted in the setting off of the sirens on April 13, 2007.”
Rowlett RACES also provides a unique opportunity for volunteers to submit their names online to be selected to help with the City of Rowlett or City of Garland siren tests.
This summer, the team has been working to prepare for Rowlett’s fourth of July celebration.
The Rowlett organization is sponsored by the Rowlett Fire Department and the Office of Emergency Management. The RACES program enables community members to make their own town, city, or state a safer place.
Currently, the Rowlett RACES team has 24 members and they are recruiting new volunteers to help with the radio communications. They will be offering a class for anyone who is interested that does not have an amateur radio license yet. Anyone interested in applying may contact info@rowlettraces.us. A background check will be run on each candidate. For a complete list of requirements, visit www.rowlettraces.us.
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