We work with dozens of organizations and government agencies each year to help their events go a little bit more smooth. We would like to thank the following for taking a moment to express their gratitude:
“University Hospitals through its EMS Training and Disaster Preparedness Institute and UH Drusinsky Sports Medicine Institute has worked with the Event Support Group/Cuyahoga County Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES/ESG) with multiple athletic events for which we provide medical staffing and support, including the University Hospitals Cleveland Marathon and the Tri CLE Rock Roll Run. We at University Hospitals have found the services of ARES/ESG invaluable in the coordination and communication of medical assistance to race participants. We have found them extremely collaborative and consider them to be an essential part of our medical team!”
Jeffrey Luk, MD, MS, FACEP, FAEMS Director, Event Medicine, University Hospitals
“ARES is an indispensable partner for emergency management during large, widespread events. The trained radio operators are capable of seamlessly plugging into our operations and enhance our capability to gather situational awareness. When other communication channels fail, ARES can still support us.”
-Fred Szabo, Emergency Manager, Cleveland Department of Public Safety
“The ARES/Event Support Group regularly provides communications support to the Cuyahoga County Office of Emergency Management. As a trusted partner, the group provides expertise and technical assistance within the County’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) as well as in the field during response and recovery efforts. Their support has proven invaluable for large-scale emergencies as well as the pre-planned events that have occurred in the Northeast Ohio. The professionalism and knowledge of their members has made the Event Support Group an integral part of the County’s overarching Emergency Management Program.”
-Mark Christie, EMA Director, Cuyahoga County
“We are so appreciative of the work of the Event Support Group supporting our Pan Ohio Hope Ride for the last 12+ years. Their commitment to creating a safe riding experience with detailed communication and logistics support, helps provide a world-class riding experience across the state of Ohio, while raising vital funds to support the American Cancer Society (ACS). They have helped tremendously in monitoring heat and weather patterns, while also responding to rider support requests along our 330+ mile course, and ensure those are addressed in a timely fashion. Thank you for your incredible teamwork!”
-Alyssa Hancock – Event Manager Pan Ohio Hope Ride, American Cancer Society
-Paul Purdy – Sr. Director of Endurance Events, American Cancer Society
-Christopher Bowles – Director of Endurance Events, American Cancer Society
“Working with Event Support Group has been crucial to the success of the Bike Cleveland Fundo. Their team brings a level of professionalism, reliability, and calm coordination that is essential for a large-scale ride.
From managing SAG (Support and Gear) vehicles to providing clear, consistent event communications, they ensure that both riders and organizers feel supported every mile of the way. Their expertise in coordinating communications and on-the-ground support helps us deliver a safe and enjoyable experience for our 1,500+ participants. Event Support Group is deeply committed to the success of the events they serve.
We’re grateful for their partnership and would highly recommend them to any organization looking to elevate their event operations.”
-Jacob VanSickle, Executive Director, Bike Cleveland
“As Captain of Team Sunshine, I became familiar with ESG from their work at BikeMS charity rides that we participate in each August. We usually have 50 to 60 riders and have raised over $300,000 for MS since 2015. All of the in-person events were cancelled in 2020, thanks to Covid. Team Sunshine decided to host our own live fundraiser ride for anyone brave enough to come out. Mat and the amazing folks at ESG gladly volunteered to provide support for our ride. In 2021, we created our own event to fundraise for Alzheimer’s research, the Ride to Remember. Since 2024, ESG has professionally and effectively supported our event each June. I can’t imagine hosting a ride without their assistance.”
-Tom Dickey, Captain, Team Sunshine
“I met Mat and his crew for the first time at a water stop in Zenia, Ohio. He had the blinky lights tracking the last rider of Pan Ohio and I was following behind grabbing the marking signs. I was young, dumb, and learning.
Now I’m a little older, dumb, and learning but having their crew keep my runners safe and on track makes all the difference. They are the invisible support network and communications team behind so many events and I appreciate what they do.”
Jay Toole, Founder and Event Director, Run the Land
June 2026 issue of QST page 56.
Collaboration and Innovation Bring Success with Served Agencies
In the past 6 months, much attention has been given to developing new methods, adopting advanced equipment, and forming initial connections with served agencies to keep the Amateur Radio Emergency Service® (ARES®) relevant. These steps are essential for building long-term collaboration, as ongoing commitment is what turns initial contact into lasting, trusted alliances for effective emergency response.
The Event Support Group (ESG) of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, which operates under the auspices of ARES (often called ARES/ESG), has demonstrated exceptional skill in adopting advanced technologies and nurturing strong working relationships with their 57 surrounding communities, by maintaining open communication and embracing new tools.
ESG has established outstanding relationships with many critical agencies and organizations across Cuyahoga County and northeast Ohio, such as the National Weather Service Cleveland, Cuyahoga County Office of Emergency Management, City of Cleveland Office of Emergency Management, Northeast Ohio Healthcare Coalition, and Chagrin Valley Dispatch.
What Works for ARES/ESG
ARES/ESG is a great model of how an amateur radio support organization becomes indispensable instead of optional, because they don’t help with only one project; they maintain a strategy built on relationships, capability, reliability, and visibility.
ESG’s access to dispatch facilities and emergency operations centers didn’t happen because of equipment; it happened because of trusted partnerships built over years of working together with their served agencies. Your ARES group can learn a lot by regularly attending county Emergency Management Agency meetings and by becoming a member of your Local Emergency Planning Committee.
Offering communications support for small local events is a good first step. Meet dispatch leadership and public safety chiefs early on, and provide after-action reports following every deployment. One of the most important, and probably most difficult, things to do is to show up consistently. Build a reliable and trusted team of volunteers; trust builds access, and access builds integration.
Supporting a variety of community events, such as charity runs, cycling events, parades, and festivals, is an effective way to establish a presence and build relationships with local agencies. By providing backup communications planning and actively participating in annual disaster drills, your group can demonstrate its preparedness and reliability. Even forming a partnership with a single hospital can significantly influence how agencies perceive the value of amateur radio support.
Resources, such as portable repeaters, deployable internet, cross-band interoperability, hospital connectivity, and Winlink capability, are essential for meeting the needs of served agencies. True capability comes from solving real operational challenges, and ESG’s approach is to think like infrastructure, not just as volunteers.
The understanding that successful emergency communications teams present themselves as a communications capability that happens to be volunteer supported, and not as volunteers who happen to have radios, is a big mindset shift. That distinction changes everything.
With a strategy built on relationships, capability, reliability, and visibility, ARES/ESG is a great model of how an amateur radio support organization becomes indispensable instead of optional.
Scott Yonally, N8SY Director, Great Lakes Division, ARRL
