Tarrant County RACES operates under the authority of the Fort Worth/Tarrant County Emergency Management Office.  In times of emergency this group of dedicated amateur radio operators volunteer to provide communications for a county with an area of nearly 900 square miles and a population of over 1.4 million people.   

    During Severe Weather Tarrant County RACES members, who are certified Skywarn storm spotters, are the eyes and ears for the National Weather Service office in Fort Worth.  

    During Local Emergencies, such as communication failures, the RACES group assist the Fort Worth Fire Department by staffing both the Fire Alarm Center, and city Fire Stations.

    Most Tarrant County RACES members are also part of other RACES groups, such as North Richland Hills, Richland Hills, Southlake, and Northeast Tarrant County.  

    RACES has operators at the Tarrant County Sheriffs Office, the Tarrant County Alarm Dispatch Center, American Red Cross Ft Worth Chapter, Nursing Homes, Tarrant County Hospitals, as well as local TV stations and AM/FM Radio Stations.  Some RACES members also volunteer at their work locations to pass on Severe Weather information to their fellow employees.

    Tarrant County RACES operates mainly on 144 MHz, although they have the ability to operate on 220 MHz and 440 MHz.

    During an emergency a net will be called up by the RACES Liaison Officer or by a Net Controller.  When a RACES net is activated only RACES members can transmit on the frequency.  All communication must go through Net Control.  Net Control will pass the information on to the appropriate place.

   For those who may listen to the Net during Severe Weather on their scanners, here is some terminology that is commonly used:

   Tarrant County RACES uses a color coded system during a SKYWARN severe weather Net.  This advises Storm Spotters what type of reports are needed.

    A Sample Report of what you might hear: