DC Emergency Radio Network
Covering the Washington, DC Metropolitan Area and Beyond
www.dcradio.org

"Connecting people and neighborhoods in an emergency"

The DC Emergency Radio Network is an alternate means of communication during an emergency.   If there's a power, telephone, cell phone or Internet failure, the DC Emergency Radio Network (DCERN) can keep you in touch with your neighbors, your family and officials.

DCERN uses Family Radio Service (FRS) and General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS) radios on channel 1, no privacy channel (subchannel 0).^*

Many people in Washington, DC already have FRS and GMRS radios.   These are the small handheld walkie-talkie radios that family and friends use to keep in touch at parks, on ski slopes, at Disneyworld and in malls. They're sold at Radio Shack, Best Buy, Staples and elsewhere. FRS radios are license-free and have a range of 1/4 to 1 mile; GMRS radios have a range of 5 to 10 miles or possibly more.

If normal modes of communication go down or become unreliable  --because of a terrorist attack, power outage, cell phone network congestion, storm or other problem--  the DC Emergency Radio Network is a pre-planned way of communicating and relaying vital information. 

DCERN may also be called into service for other emergencies, such as searching for a lost child, or if neighbors need to evacuate their homes.  If cell phone towers fail and you need to communicate while outside, your DCERN radio may be the only way to communicate.  Remember:  In a prolonged power outage, even cell phones will stop working because cell phone towers have battery backups that only last a few hours. 

In an emergency, tune your FRS/GMRS radio to the DC Emergency Radio Network on channel 1.  DCERN may be your pipeline to emergency help and information.  

DCERN works on the principle that the simplest means of communication is the most reliable in an emergency.

Questions and answers about the DC Emergency Radio Network
Join the DCERN listserv - stay informed about developments in emergency communications
DCERN in the news - newspaper articles and videos
Modes of emergency communications
Become a DCERN member - membership is free
Become a DCERN communications specialist,
somebody who's available during emergencies: Email us for more information
DC Emergency Radio Network Mission Statement
Stargazer Foundation:  Advanced Communications
How to use DCERN radios in an emergency
How to use your DCERN radio for normal, family communications
Information: Cell phones will fail during a prolonged blackout
How quickly and unexpectedly land line and cell phones can fail
The DC Emergency Preparedness Coalition
The National SOS Radio Network
NationalSOS School Project

 

To reach DCERN in an emergency call 202-986-9275, or send an email to dcern@email.netmails.net.

Downloads
 

You can download the DCERN flyer here.
An emergency instructions flyer is also available for download.
Download your DCERN Wallet Card

Click here for questions and answers about the DC Emergency Radio Network

The Virginia Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service has prepared some excellent material, including a guide to using FRS radios for emergencies and a instructional brochure on how to use handheld radios.
If you want to volunteer to help the National SOS Radio Network, please call or or email us.

Keep informed about the DC Emergency Radio Network through DCERN's email list.  Joining the DCERN email list is, of course, optional, and you can quit the list at any time.  There's an informative FAQ that you can read about.  For more about DCERN's listserv or to sign up, visit, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dcern or enter your email address in the box below:

*Channels are different frequencies; subchannels, also called CTCSS codes, are "privacy codes" that enable you to restrict who can be part of your talk-group.  That's handy for using these radios among family and friends.  For emergency communications CTCSS codes should be off: displayed as 0 on FRS radios.   Channel 1 is 462.5625 MHz -- but you don't need to know this (phew).

www.dcradio.org
The DCERN logo was designed by Andrew Christian.

The DC Emergency Radio Network's website is designed in low-HTML, with a minimum of graphics and no special web components, so that it can be viewed on any browser and by people who are using slow internet connections.
  The videos on our news page require broadband connections however.