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Grant Success Stories
& Peer Contacts
FEDERAL
FUNDING EXAMPLES
 "We purchased our
RoadRunnR Portable Advisory
Radio Station with Homeland Security Funds. It
is an eligible item, because we are using it as an
alternate warning device. They love the fact that
it is totally mobile, self sufficient; and we can
do live broadcast on it. We could not have
afforded this necessary piece of equipment without
the Homeland Security Grant Funds. If you need
more information, please let me know.
Terry Reekers,
Coordinator; Emmet County EMA/HLS, Iowa."
Gresham, Oregon, purchased an ALERT AM system and
went on the air circa February 2005 with WQCA
(1610). City officials have been broadcasting the
weather report from the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration. Gresham used a grant
from the US Department of Homeland Security for
the $28,258 cost and plans to put up signs around
the city that will blink to inform drivers to tune
into the station during emergencies.
See The Oregonian article.
Los Alamos County
used Homeland Security grant money for its emergency
advisory radio system. Located at the rim of a
dormant volcano with limited access, county
evacuation options are limited. Says Emergency
Director Phil Taylor, "Every time someone even
smells the slightest whiff of smoke, our 911 and
emergency call center lines are swamped." Twin ALERT
AM stations in Los Alamos and White Rock provide
evacuation information as well as info about wild
fires, traffic accidents, road construction and
emergency drills at the Los Alamos National
Laboratory.
See the Los Alamos Lab news release and contacts
within.
FEMA
The
Federal Emergency Management Agency, now part of the
Department of Homeland Security, provides millions of
dollars in grants to assist state and local
government with domestic security. The funds are
intended to help "emergency management become better
prepared to respond to acts of terrorism and other
emergencies and disasters"
(Washington
Technology, Nov 2002). FEMA's Office of National Preparedness
administers the grants, which are channeled through states
with at least 75% going to local governments.
A couple of emergency
managers who have purchased ISS Emergency Advisory
Radio Stations indicated to us that FEMA
rules allow communities to file "hazard mitigation
plans" with state emergency management agencies in
place of the former requirement to show Federal Emergency
Designations for proving eligibility. Go to the
FEMA
website to see how to file your hazard mitigation
plan. Such a plan in place replaces the old requirement to show
Federal Emergency Designation in your areas to be
eligible. The federal mitigation fund has been described as the "new" version of
Project Impact, perhaps a more familiar term.
Fort Bend County in Washington received a $292,500
federal grant that it used to set up a multistation
grouping to cover the county with emergency advisory
radio and flashing alert signs.
Courtney Smith, the County's emergency
management planning coordinator is the contact.
David
Burns former emergency manager of of El Segundo, California,
now at UCLA, obtained nearly
$350,000 for his emergency management program from FEMA's Office of Justice
Planning and the California Office of Traffic Safety.
Included was $28,000 for an AM Emergency Advisory Radio
Stations to alert the public to HAZMATs and other emergencies, especially
public information and rumor control. His advice: "be aggressive, creative, and clearly demonstrate your need.
The money is out there - go get some!!" Burns' city
has a population of just 16,000, so it "fit the bill" for a small town.
Further, he advises, "You need to have the support of your City Council and Mayor, and
local elected officials" with whom he regularly
meets, along with his congressional representative, who,
he said, "made a pitch for local funding needs and helped
secure the grants." In addition to the City of El
Segundo, Burns has also acquired an emergency
advisory radio system at UCLA.
Avalon, New Jersey, obtain $18,000 in 2004, an "emergency
management performance" grant that paid for most of their
first
ALERT AM Emergency Advisory Radio System
and
Flashing ALERT
Signs.
See
Avalon's news release.
See also
the story and
a way to contact emergency chief Kevin Scarpa.
Amber Alert Emergency Alert System
(EAS)
Example
Legislation was passed in the
House and Senate in April 2003 that, among other things
provides money for nationwide implementation of
Amber Alerts, part of ISS'
ALERT
AM Emergency Advisory Broadcast System exclusive,
EAS programming feature. The authorization includes
funding for highway signs (Section 4, b1 and b2).
Flashing signs
alert motorists to tune to given Emergency Advisory Radio
Station frequencies.
Of particular
interest is the
Urban Area Security Initiative. ISS clients have used
these funds to purchase Emergency Advisory Radio Systems, for example, the
City of Orlando, Florida, Emergency Management.
Contact Orlando emergency
manager Manual Soto by clicking here.
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STATE
FUNDING EXAMPLES
 State Homeland Security Program Example
With this grant,
Dennis English
of San Miguel County/Las Vegas Office of Emergency
Management purchased a fixed ALERT AM station and a
portable RoadRunnR station. The City/County has also
received
funding to microwave the system through San Miguel/Las
Vegas' communication system to broaden the range of
reception.
Local
Funding EXAMPLES
(private sources, including
philanthropic organizations and corporations)
 Foundation Gifts & Grants: the Wildland Residents Association Example
The subject non-profit, public service corporation, comprised
San Marcos Pass area homeowners manages an active
volunteer fire force and an exemplary Emergency Advisory
Radio System. See
a detailed
case study with contact info, which offers a
downloadable copy of a funding proposal that garnered
private foundation money plus written policies and
procedures for running their system.
There are
approximately 15,000 chemical facilities around the USA with
highly toxic material near heavily populated areas. (Of
those, the Environmental Protection Agency has identified
123 where more than a million people in the surrounding areas could be at risk of exposure to toxic gas.)
HAZMAT companies are mandated by the government to protect
their surrounding communities. By partnering with local
emergency managers, HAZMAT companies can establish Emergency Advisory Radio
(EAR) stations to help mitigate events. These EAR stations
could be licensed to the communities and funded (in part or whole) by
the industries. As commercial entities, the industries
themselves are not permitted by the FCC to own the
stations. Through these types of partnerships, industries
and communities can often achieve ends not possible for
either, alone.
Dow
Example
Dow
Chemical and the Brazosport Emergency Response Agency in
Texas are establishing a series of 7 simulcast
Emergency Advisory Radio Stations. The non-profit Brazosport EMA maintains station ownership and holds the
necessary FCC licenses, which Dow, as a commercial entity,
cannot obtain. Dow is funding equipment purchase and much of the
work and, as a HAZMAT company, will be able to demonstrate
real commitment to its surrounding community with
commercial-free broadcasts.
Contact ISS for
details.
Service Groups and Fundraising
 Hundreds
(if not thousands) of service groups at local and regional
levels represent another workable opportunity for funding
aspects of your program. Through local reps, fundraising
events can be undertaken. Check the Web for links to sites
for groups in your area, for example,
JayCees.
Similarly, some discretionary funding might be
available, hidden in government programs. Contact your
local, state and federal government representatives to
explain your effort and determine how to apply for
available resources.
Kettering
Example
One
service-minded individual can make a difference in a
community. See
a
case study showing how local businessman Norm Schrein,
with "seed" money from his own organization,
began an Emergency Advisory Radio Station.
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The AEL /SEL / RKB / IAB Conundrum
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