Our mission

The mission of Cupertino ARES is to maintain and train Amateur Radio volunteers capable of providing professional emergency communications, increasing the City's emergency response effectiveness, and speeding the recovery effort.

Our Objectives

• Preparedness - CARES members train to respond to a local emergency with our equipment, training, and experience.

• Response - CARES members deliver backup and emergency communications to our city, various served agencies, and our neighbors.

Who we are

• More than 70 of your neighbors who are amateurs and have formed an organized pool of radio operators to provide reliable primary and backup communication links for the City of Cupertino and other agencies when needed.
• CARES was formed to serve the public. 
• We are a volunteer organization made up of licensed amateur radio operators with ties to Cupertino. We have voluntarily registered our qualifications and equipment for public service communications duty when disaster strikes.
• We serve the community without compensation of any kind.
• We vary in age (high school students to retirees), interests, and occupations.
• The only requirement for CARES membership is an Amateur Radio license and an interest in serving the community.

Who we serve

CARES has formal agreements with its Served Agencies.  Currently, Memorandum of Understandings (MOUs) with the following organizations have been completed, reviewed, and signed:

• City of Cupertino, MOU
• Cupertino Sanitary District, MOU
• San Jose Water Company, MOU
• Santa Clara County Fire Department, MOU (addendum to the City of Cupertino MOU)

What we do

• Provide the city with an early assessment of damage and casualties from Cupertino neighborhoods to help the City focus their response during a disaster
• Provide backup communications when regular resources break down or are overwhelmed
• Handle message, information, command, and liaison radio traffic for CARES served agencies
• Provide a city-wide creek watch during severe weather 
• Provide communications for community service events and activities 
• Conduct training and drills as necessary to accomplish our objectives

Why CARES works

CARES members pride themselves on their professionalism. We are "amateurs" only by virtue of volunteering our time, skill, and equipment at no cost to Cupertino residents to help our city, community, and neighbors in time of need.

CARES is open to all Cupertino residents holding a valid FCC-issued Amateur Radio license. There are no annual dues or fees. The only requirement for CARES membership is (1) an Amateur Radio license and (2) an interest in serving your community.

If you hold a valid Amateur License...

Join us Tuesday evenings at 7:45 PM for our regularly scheduled VHF net on 147.570 MHz simplex, or attend our regular membership meetings on the first Thursday evening of each month at the Cupertino City Hall.  Check in at the Tuesday night nets for meeting times or changes.

For more information

See our contact information, or send us an e-mail at:
CARES@cupertino.org

Sections reprinted with permission from the American Radio Relay League

  updated:  June 20, 2007