PRESS RELEASE

New York City Radio Communications Team to Provide
Emergency Communications at America's Largest Cycling Event

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Point of contact:

Shelomo Alfassa
Public Information Officer
917-838-5832

NEW YORK, NY (May 2, 2014) The New York City Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Service (NYC-ARECS) will be deployed on May 4, 2014, across New York City in case emergency communications are needed during the annual TD Five Boro Bike Tour. This tour is America's largest cycling event, and is one of over a dozen public service events that NYC-ARECS will provide support to in 2014.

Held annually the first Sunday in May, the TD Five Boro Bike Tour is America's largest cycling event. The Tour is produced by Bike New York, the city's premiere bicycling organization, in association with the City of New York and the New York City Department of Transportation. The TD Five Boro Bike Tour provides participants the unique and fun experience to bike through all five boroughs - a 40 mile, traffic-free ride for near 50,000 cyclists. Proceeds from the event fund Bike New York's education programs.

NYC-ARECS is an auxiliary emergency communications team made up of New York City based licensees of the Federal Communications Commission who specialize in emergency radio communications. Charles Hargrove, NYC-ARECS President said, "I have been involved with Bike NY for more than 20 years. We assist at events like this because deployment of communication team members to an event with tens of thousands of people such as a marathon, or to a bike-a-thon, spread over a wide geographic area, provides a unique training opportunity."

NYC-ARECS will be manning a desk in the U.S. Coast Guard Emergency Operations Center at Fort Wadsworth in Staten Island; there, they will coordinate their radio operators who are available to assist Bike Tour leaders. Others in the EOC will be the NYPD, FDNY, EMS, the US Park Police, and others, who will come together to ensure the day is safe for all participants and spectators.

Many members of NYC-ARECS were activated during the 9/11 attack, the New York City Blackout and other city-wide emergencies. Annually, the team works with charitable organizations to provide communication at various venues, as part of their extended mission. The over-arching mission of NYC-ARECS is to provide professional, timely, quality, and proficient auxiliary radio communications to both government and other organizations. Persons interested in learning more about how the organization can help their organization, or persons interested in joining, should write to: info@nyc-arecs.org.

 

 #TDFBBT #NYC #HAMR

 

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