Pierce County Amateur Radio Emergency Service: volunteers who train and qualify to provide emergency communications for local agencies during windstorms, floods, earthquakes and other outages.
Public activity found January 2026 (source, checked Nov 1, 2026)
Pierce County ARES helps local agencies when an incident disrupts ordinary communications. In January 2026 it launched a new membership program with four qualification levels, which applies to new applicants and current members. Its site lists regular radio and Winlink nets and a public calendar.
A separate nonprofit, Pierce County Amateur Radio Communication Services (ARCS), holds funds and equipment for ARES. Its board meets online monthly.
Volunteers serve through the program, not on their own: register as an emergency worker through the sponsoring agency before you help in an emergency.
Before you rely on any group: contact them, join a practice net or drill, and keep calling 911 first whenever you can.