PRESS RELEASE

New York City Emergency Communicators Team Up With Emergency Medical Providers

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Point of contact: Charles Hargrove

NEW YORK, NY (May 14, 2013) - New York City Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Service (NYC-ARECS), a NYC-based auxiliary communications service, has announced they are expanding their organization to include a new Emergency Medical Service division. The new EMS division will allow the organization to couple a trained medical provider with a radio operator at Public Service Events.

NYC-ARECS is a State of New York non-profit corporation, made up of New York City based licensees of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that specialize in Amateur Radio emergency communications. Team members volunteer their time to provide radio communications (voice and digital messages) for governments, as well as civil-preparedness and relief agencies, during periods of local, regional, or national civil emergencies.

While NYC-ARECS' primary mission is to provide communications during emergencies, during the year, the organization also provides supplemental communications to both large and small events throughout New York. This includes several events such as walk-a-thons and bike-a-thons, some which are over 100 miles long and include tens of thousands of participants. Radio operators are either stationed in one position or placed in a support vehicle that is continually on the move. Being able to partner a medical provider (First Responder, EMT, etc.) with a radio operator is a force multiplier and a 'win-win' for both the event organization and for any injured participant.

Shelomo Alfassa, the incoming NYC-ARECS EMS Coordinator said: "By pairing up a trained medical provider with a radio communications operator at large events, we shorten the time an injured person has to wait for immediate treatment, before the formal emergency services arrive on scene." He added: "The recent Boston Marathon bombing demonstrated that having increased numbers of medical providers on-scene at large public events, can help increase immediate response which saves lives."

All volunteer EMS members will be Auxiliary members of NYC-ARECS. Their mission will be supplement local EMS at events, where they will operate up to their certified level of training during an emergency, as basic life support providers.

"This is a great expansion of our services and commitment to our fellow citizens in New York," said Charles Hargrove, President of NYC-ARECS. On 9/11, Hargrove was the City-Wide 'RACES' Radio Officer based in the New York City, Mayor's Office of Emergency Management, at the World Trade Center. "We plan on providing materials and training, at no charge, for any volunteer EMS member who is interested in becoming a emergency radio operator," he added.

NYC-ARECS members are divided across all five boroughs of NYC. They own, operate and train with their own equipment, including computers, radios, antennas, and portable battery back-up power. Members have radio communication capability at home, portably, and specialized equipment in their vehicles. Members of the NYC-ARECS are licensed by the FCC and may participate in the 'Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service' (RACES), a protocol created by the FCC and is administered by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security / Federal Emergency Management Agency.

 

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