Puget Sound Energy Amateur Radio Emergency Services (PSEARES) team is a voluntary group of FCC Licensed Amateur Radio Operators that provide and support emergency communications service for Puget Sound Energy (PSE) in case of standard communication methods failures such as telephone, fax, internet, etc.  As indicated, participation in PSEARES is totally voluntary. Most of the members of PSEARES are employees of Puget Sound Energy. PSEARES is a recognized team within the national ARES (Amateur Radio Emergency Services) organization under the direction of the Amateur Radio Relay League (ARRL). The Amateur Radio Emergency Service® (ARES) consists of licensed amateurs who have voluntarily registered their qualifications and equipment to ARES leadership for communications duty in the public service when disaster strikes.