For me, ARES represents an opportunity to learn the emergency communication ham craft from experienced people, and provide a service to the local community. Those in the know have all said that if you don't understand ham communications very well and are prepared beforehand, you won't have a clue when SHTF and whatever you bought will be useless. This is somewhat sophisticated stuff, and has many operating modes each with their own rules and limitations. One of my objectives is to learn enough to propose a communication structure or plan for COAR-15 members (unless, of course, someone more experienced or knowledgeable does first).