ARES/RACES volunteers stepped up to support communication for the Clark County, Nevada, Office of Emergency Management (OEM), during the third US presidential debate in Las Vegas, Nevada, on October 19. Clark County OEM Chief John Steinbeck, asked ARES/RACES to activate and support the County’s Multi-Agency Coordination Center (MACC).

Seven Clark County ARES/RACES members operated UHF and VHF voice as well as VHF packet and mesh VoIP from the MACC as well as from the Clark County IT Department communications van throughout the event. In addition, ARES/RACES members provided back-up monitoring of all event communications.

Among the Amateur Radio volunteers supporting the effort were ARRL Nevada Section Traffic Manager Jim Bassett, W1RO; Nevada Southern District Emergency Coordinator Jay Peskin, KE7EGO; Jim Davis, KF7GCT; Steve Deveny, KF7WGL; Frank Kostelac, N7ZEV, and Jack Cook, N8RRL. Also providing support from the communications van was ARES/RACES member, Keith Aurich, KD7TOF, of the Clark County IT Department.

In addition, more than a dozen Clark County ARES/RACES members remained on standby, monitoring communications from home and mobile stations, in case a wider activation was required.

Clark County ARES/RACES Emergency Coordinator Bill Smith, W7HMV, praised the ARES/RACES members who volunteered their time, equipment, and skills to support the OEM for the event.

The activation marked the first time that ARES/RACES members operated from the MACC’s new location, which, as yet, has no radio equipment installed. They were able to test and verify the capability to utilize existing external communication resources, using their own equipment from a new and potentially challenging venue. — Thanks to Jim Davis, KF7GCT