Are you a "ham" radio operator who wants to turn your hobby into a way to help? Do you want to make a valuable contribution to your community by serving in the emergency and disaster communications field?

If so, there’s a new program that may be just right for you.

With the opening of Sussex County’s new Emergency Operations Center (EOC) just a couple months away, the Sussex County Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES) group is looking for "ham" radio operators from across the county to volunteer their time working within the new facility and with its staff.

For an opportunity to learn more about what will be required, interested parties are invited to attend an informational meeting at the old EOC building, 21303 Airport Road, near Georgetown. The meeting will be held at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 14, 2008, in the EOC conference room.

The meeting is a follow-up to a similar informational session held in early January. Representatives from RACES will discuss details on credentialing requirements, as well as provide an outline of how the RACES group will operate during EOC emergency activations. Training opportunities will be scheduled in the near future to provide the information and skills necessary to work side by side with the EOC staff.

For more information, contact John Ferguson-K3PFW, RACES Radio Officer, at (302) 855-9385 or send an e-mail to k3pfw@arrl.net. You can also visit our Web site at www.sussexcountyraces.com.

A meeting agenda will be published shortly. The purpose of this meeting is to explain in more detail, to those who will be working with the RACES organization, the proposed requirements for credentialing, and an outline of how the RACES group will operate during activations.