MCACS and ARES in Montgomery County are two distinct organizations that have overlapping missions and membership. To the extent that there are differences in mission, their capabilities and services are complementary.

• Montgomery County ARES is the local branch of the Amateur Radio Emergency Service® (ARES) program. The ARES program is administered by American Radio Relay League (ARRL) and is national in scope. It operates through a hierarchical structure that reaches from ARRL headquarters in Newington, CT to units established in local communities across the United States. ARRL has established formal relationships at the national and international level with many organizations active in disasters, and encourages individual ARES units across the country to do the same with their local counterparts. While the primary focus of ARES is preparing Amateur Radio operator to provide emergency communications services at the local and regional level, ARES operators having advanced training may be recruited by ARRL for missions far from home. For more information on ARES, see the ARRL website and the ARRL Maryland-DC Section website.

• As explained on this website, MCACS is a home-grown 501(c)(3) organization with a mission to develop and maintain a cadre of volunteers who are qualified and equipped to provide emergency communications to Montgomery County during a disaster, including but not limited to Amateur Radio communications. As a Maryland not-for-profit corporation, MCACS has the means to do things that ARES cannot do, such as acquire property and solicit charitable donations. In addition, MCACS can recruit members who are not licensed hams and develop emergency communications resources that do not involve Amateur Radio, extending the capabilities of ARES.

• While it is possible to register for ARES and not join MCACS (or the other way around), MCACS members who are hams are strongly encouraged to participate in ARES, and ARES members in Montgomery County are strongly encouraged to register as members of MCACS. In practice, many of our training activities are carried out jointly. We employ this website to facilitate the sharing of information about our activities. Registration for both organizations can be accomplished on this website.

• Together, Montgomery County ARES and MCACS work closely with the Montgomery County Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security. Both organizations are identified as “cooperating organizations” in the Montgomery County Emergency Operations Plan.