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ARRL Bulletin 8  ARLB008
>From ARRL Headquarters  
Newington CT  June 2, 2023
To all radio amateurs 

SB QST ARL ARLB008
ARLB008 ARRL Elected to Serve on SAFECOM

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 used 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, and ARRL
being a part of the group solidifies the Amateur Radio Service as a
robust resource before and during times of crisis.

In a letter from SAFECOM Chair, Chief Gerald R Reardon said '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, said
'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 AHJ's (Agencies
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 that leadership over the coming days to begin
the process of better understanding all 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 and
our Served Agencies and Partners.'  Johnston said.

For more information about ARES and other ARRL Emergency Programs
and training visit our web page at: arrl.org/public-service .

For more information about SAFECOM go to:
https://www.cisa.gov/safecom .