The Board of Directors of the ARRL concentrated much of its deliberations on major emergency communications issues when it met in Hartford, Connecticut last month.

The Board approved the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the American Red Cross (ARC). The ARC has agreed to permit ARES® volunteers to meet its requirement for a criminal background check by obtaining such a check, at their own expense, through a law enforcement entity rather than through the ARC process. ARRL members will be given information to permit them to make a fully informed decision with regard to volunteering with ARC.

The Board also instructed the ARRL staff to seek a change in Section 97.113(a)(3) of the FCC rules to permit amateurs, on behalf of an employer, to participate in emergency preparedness and disaster drills that include Amateur operations. There is an extensive discussion of this action on page nine of the March issue of QST.