ARRL The National Association for Amateur Radio® has been elected to serve on SAFECOM®. SAFECOM is a group of national thought leaders and officials within the emergency communications and response space that works to set standards at every level. The program is managed by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), an agency of the US Department of Homeland Security.

SAFECOM sets the standards of interoperability procedures. As a part of the group, ARRL solidifies the Amateur Radio Service as a robust resource before and during times of crisis.

A letter from the SAFECOM Chair, Chief Gerald R. Reardon, stated, "On behalf of the SAFECOM Executive Board, it is with great pleasure that I inform you of our offer to join SAFECOM as a member association. SAFECOM aims to improve multi-jurisdictional and intergovernmental communications interoperability through collaboration with emergency responders and policymakers across federal, state, local, tribal, territorial, and international partners. SAFECOM recognizes the organization's dedication to emergency communications and interoperability, and therefore is pleased to extend a membership offer."

ARRL Director of Emergency Management Josh Johnston, KE5MHV, "Gaining a seat at the table is a major step in strengthening the role and capability of amateur radio with emergency communication agencies. This will give us the sounding board and resources we need to set standards and create training for our Amateur Radio Emergency Service® (ARES®) volunteers that will better suit Authorities Having Jurisdiction and partner organizations." The opportunity for ARRL to provide a more comprehensive emergency communications program is part of the goal the Board and ARRL leadership has begun to emphasize over the past few years, and this is one more example of the commitment to do so. ARRL will provide premier resources for the served agencies to support them in all phases of emergency management.

Johnston will serve as the Representative for ARRL on SAFECOM and will be meeting with leadership over the coming days to begin the process of better understanding the roles and responsibilities that come with being a member association. "I look forward to working with the SAFECOM leadership as we move forward and with the ARRL leadership to better serve the ham community, our served agencies, and our partners," Johnston said.

For more information about ARES and other ARRL emergency programs and training, check out our web page at http://arrl.org/public-service.