Bibb County GA Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) is a group of dedicated Amateur Radio volunteers (“Hams”) that provide emergency communications (EmComm) for various public safety agencies in the Middle GA area in a time of disaster and infrastructure failure. Our National Weather Service (NWS) trained members also provide weather related information for the Central Georgia Area through the NWS SkyWarn spotter program.

The Macon-Bibb County Emergency Management Agency (Spencer Hawkins - Macon/Bibb EMA Director) provides us with state of the art amateur radio equipment at the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) located in beautiful downtown Macon. This equipment enables us to establish communications with Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA) and various other state and national organizations during the time of need. We also work in conjunction with the EMA to staff the EOC and its mobile command post for communications with our volunteers allowing the EMA staff to concentrate on damage assessments and other important duties assisting the public in the time of need.

Other agencies we serve are the Macon-Bibb County Sheriff’s Office, Macon-Bibb Co. Fire Department, Macon-Bibb Emergency Management Agency Facebook page, various EMS agencies, and the American Red Cross. Our volunteers also provide emergency communications for hospitals located in Region 5 or (F) area when needed.

Anyone holding a valid FCC issued Amateur Radio license in Bibb County, or surrounding counties, is encouraged to participate and become a member of the Macon-Bibb County ARES team. To learn more contact Charlie Coiner(WD4CC), the Emergency Coordinator for Bibb County ARES.

When all else fails– Amateur Radio works!