There are two distinct registrations to join Spokane County ARES - RACES - ACS.  Although ARES and RACES - ACS are separate organizations with different requirements, they are jointly operated in Spokane County and require an applicant to complete an applications for one or both in order to join.

The first application is for the Spokane County ARES group. This application, when approved, adds you to a roster of Amateur operators who volunteer for various activities. These may be emergency related or other activities such as assisting with communications for Bloomsday or the Spokane Lilac parade.  Membership in ARES also requires you to download and print an ARES Task Book, which will track your participation and qualifications.

The second is for the Spokane County RACES - ACS group. This group requires both the ARES application and a second application with Spokane County Emergency Managementt. This second application will go through a security and background check so the Spokane County Department of Emergency Management can call upon you for emergencies and serve in an official capacity.  Spokane County ACS uses a separate Task Book given to members to track their qualifications, which include more than what ARES requires.

Interested individuals may be a member in one or both organizations.  Even you don't or can't qualify for ACS, our ARES group welcomes you, and you can still volunteer for many events to bring your expertise in Amateur radio operations to our community.

You can download the Spokane County ARES registration form, fill it out and bring to the next Spokane County ARES / RACES meeting or email it to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Here is a link to the Spokane County Emergency Management application