A new ARES group is more likely to be heard and taken seriously by a local NWS office when accompanied by the agreement document signed by the head of the agency. The served agency says, in effect, we have examined this organization of radio amateurs and have found them to be trustworthy and able to render substantial and needed services for our field operations in times of emergency. These are broad guidelines that lead to the establishment of a local memorandum of understanding or similar document that sets forth the detailed operational plans and policies to be subscribed to by both parties during drills, and actual events. The most important step here is to ensure that both parties to the local agreement have a realistic assessment of the resources brought to the table by the servers, and the needs of the served. Fanciful expectations are the largest pitfalls leading to breaches of trust and a breakdown of relations, with each party going away unhappy and demoralized.
Rifts develop and once in place, become recalcitrant.
The public has the true need. American Red Cross ARRL and the Red Cross have had cooperative agreements since 1940. The current statement was signed in 1994. Chartered by Congress in 1905, the Red Cross provides relief to victims displaced by disaster, from the onset of disaster conditions to the recovery phase. Their national headquarters is located in Washington, but most of the action occurs at the state and local chapter levels, where the rubber meets the road.