The Fed­er­al Emer­gency Agency (FEMA) and the Amer­i­can Radio Relay League (ARRL) have signed a Mem­o­ran­dum of Under­stand­ing that recog­nis­es Ama­teur Radio can be use­ful in a disaster. 

FEMA Admin­is­tra­tor Craig Fugate KK4INZ, and ARRL Pres­i­dent Kay Craigie N3KN, signed the MoU at the recent ARRL Nation­al Cen­ten­ni­al Convention. 

Craig Fugate said the new MoU was a strength­en­ing part­ner­ship with the ARRL because with all the tech­nol­o­gy now avail­able is frag­ile in a dis­as­ter. FEMA and the ARRL will work to recog­nise and strength­en Ama­teur Radio as the last line of defence. 

It will allow resources, train­ing and per­son­nel involved in emer­gency com­mu­ni­ca­tions, and also lifts pub­lic aware­ness of the Ama­teur Radio role in pro­vid­ing safe­ty for them. 

FEMA is to fur­ther devel­op oppor­tu­ni­ties for train­ing, equip­ping and prepa­ra­tion so radio ama­teurs can serve the pub­lic inter­est when­ev­er and wher­ev­er dis­as­ters occurred in the USA. 

ARRL Pres­i­dent Kay N3KN said that from the ear­li­est days of radio exper­i­men­ta­tion to the present, vol­un­teers have com­bined a pas­sion for tech­nol­o­gy with a devo­tion to assist agen­cies that respond to disasters. 

The ARRL looked for­ward to work­ing with FEMA to fur­ther devel­op pre­pared radio ama­teurs wher­ev­er dis­as­ters affect the coun­try and its communities. 

FEMA already runs cours­es prepar­ing radio ama­teurs to be involved in dis­as­ters and pro­vide ser­vice to the community. 

In addi­tion, there are Inter­na­tion­al Ama­teur Radio Union MoUs, with the Inter­na­tion­al Fed­er­at­ed of the Red Cross, and sep­a­rate­ly with the Inter­na­tion­al Telecom­mu­ni­ca­tions Union, on the coop­er­a­tion to pre­pare for, and be involved in emergencies. 

— Jim Lin­ton VK3PC, Chair­man IARU Region 3 Dis­as­ter Com­mu­ni­ca­tions Committee.