Partners

Forsyth County AuxComm – ARES primary emergency / disaster response partners are Winston-Salem / Forsyth County Emergency Management, North Carolina Emergency Management and the American Red Cross.  Our personnel participate in training exercises with these partners, and during emergencies, disasters and even special events, deploy as a primary communications asset within their response. AuxComm – ARES personnel may be tasked with a variety of roles during emergencies / disaster and public service events from operating amateur radio stations at shelters, command posts and the EOC to acting as shadows (radio operators) for key personnel and operating radios on the state VIPER system.  They may also be used to assist Emergency Management and/or Incident Management Team personnel in the performance of their duties during these situations.

Forsyth County AuxComm – ARES also supports three annual public service events:

The National MS Society Bike MS Tour-to-Tanglewood and their MS Walk at Veterans Park in Kernersville. Tour-to-Tanglewood is a large scale, multi-county event, coving a 3 county area.   Our personnel provide primary communications throughout the route structure at rest / medical aid stops as well as providing radio equipped Support & Gear (SAG) vehicles.  This event gathers over 900 riders and covers a 3 county area, raising over $850,000 for MS research annually.  In 2019, Forsyth County AuxComm – ARES was recognized by the MS Society and named Outstanding Group of the Year.  The second MS Society Public Service event we support with primary communications is the MS Walk at Veterans Park.  This 3 mile walk/run winds throughout the park and is attended by several hundred participants raising approximately $20,000 for MS research.

The Friends of Sauratown Mountain “Hang 5” walk/run is a 10 mile walk/run through the mountain trails of Hanging Rock State Park.   Due to the mountain ridges cellular phone coverage is extremely spotty and unreliable.  Forsyth County AuxComm – ARES provides reliable primary communications along the entire event area and at rest stops.

The Make-a-Wish Trailblaze Challenge.   A 29.6-mile hike from Hanging Rock State Park to Pilot Mountain State Park.  This event gathers about 50 hikers who raise money to provide terminally ill and severely handicapped children with a special wish. Last year this effort helped provide 212 wishes to these children.   Due to the limited cellular coverage in the area, the terrain involved and the distance between points, more reliable communications is needed.  Forsyth County AuxComm – ARES personnel work a 14-hour day to provide reliable primary communication throughout the route, mobile support units, team tracing and direct communication with our public safety partners in the two counties the hike occurs in.