Public safety communications systems are designed to perform in emergencies at any time of day or night. These systems generally fulfill the demands placed on them under  normal conditions or during emergencies and operate within their design parameters.

It is when these systems are expected to perform beyond their design parameters that the Auxiliary Communications Service is considered as an alternate means of communicating.

Founded in 2006, the Baltimore County Auxiliary Communication Service (BaCo ACS) provides emergency, backup and supplemental communication services to private, state, county, local and federal agencies.

The organization brings together emergency communication volunteers from the following groups:

• Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES) sponsored by a jurisdiction’s agency responsible for Emergency Management
• Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES^®). sponsored by the Amateur Radio Relay League (ARRL)
• Radio Emergency Associated Communications Teams (REACT^®)
• Citizen Emergency Response Teams (CERT)
• Neighbors Helping Neighbors
• Nonaffiliated and affiliated volunteers emergency communicators

When activated, The Baltimore County Auxiliary Communications Service provides countywide backup and/or alternate communications during times of emergency or when other methods or modes of communication are overloaded or disrupted. BaCo ACS will utilize HF, VHF, UHF, and Digital Modes to provide communications between county, non-county agencies, hospitals, surrounding counties and the state.

The Baltimore County Auxiliary Communications Service is registered with, sponsored by and operates during emergencies, manmade and natural,  under the authority of the Baltimore County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (OHSEM).. -More-