Emergency managers are discovering AM radio as a new tool for their public communication arsenals.
Information Station Specialists recently introduced a specially designed AM emergency radio system (ALERT AM) that incorporates NOAA Weather Radio advancements and siren-system interface technology to produce an automatically updated communication avenue for the traveling public in emergency situations in their specific geographic areas. With the ALERT AM® system, weather alerts transmitted by the local National Oceanic Atmospheric Association (NOAA) Weather Radio Station as well as enhanced Emergency Alert System (EAS) notifications are broadcast automatically, when they relate to the county(s) served by the AM signal. Prerecorded messages associated with specific situations (tornado, earthquake, hurricane) are triggered by a pushbutton at Emergency Operations Control or automatically through an interface with the local siren system. As information on the situation becomes available, emergency managers can control broadcasts via cellphone, advising citizens and instructing them of specific actions to take. No longer do managers have to rely solely on local broadcasters to get the "word" out quickly. Public notifications can be more timely and relevant than ever.

An integrated system, ALERT AM marries NOAA/EAS technology with its own to automatically send only the alerts applicable to specific areas.
How does ALERT AM know which messages to broadcast? Its Weather Radio receiver is programmed with county codes, utilizing "SAME" (specific area message encoding) protocol. This allows the local weather radio station to automatically become part of the AM broadcast program whenever an alert affects counties in the AM-listening area (a 3-5 mile range). The system's exclusive "enhanced notification" feature recognizes all 53 of NOAA and EAS event codes. This means, that in addition weather alerts, ALERT AM automatically broadcasts child-abduction alerts (Amber Plan), shelter-in-place, Hazardous Materials, earthquake, fire, dust storm, nuclear/radiation, volcanic, marine/coastal and 911-outage warnings. When alerts are over, the ALERT AM System automatically resets to normal programming without any special intervention. An automatic battery backup system maintains the AM broadcasts for up to four days in the event of extended power outage.

In total, four levels of messaging are possible in the system — not so many that management becomes complex, yet flexible enough to customize.
For example, under normal, non-critical circumstances, pre-recorded community messages can be played. For emergencies, the system allows managers to pre-record messages that can be broadcast during the early stages of a warning or emergency. These messages, which take priority over standard community-oriented programming, may be triggered instantly by a pushbutton or through a cue provided by a siren-tone receiver. When more information is known, the manager can elect to record instructions for residents for immediate broadcast or "go live" with updates, as they become available. All messages, including the NOAA broadcasts, can be overridden by the live "cut-ins." 

There's a quick learning curve to managing messages.
A voicemail-like interface is used, familiar enough to be simple, easy to use and remember, even on an irregular basis. With universal access (recording and control across the telephone network), ALERT AM radio broadcasts can be updated by anyone, anywhere, who has a regular touch-tone or cellphone.

One of the best things about radio is that it's an "immediate" medium — perfect for managing emergencies.
Radio is also a flexible medium that can be adapted to situations at hand. (See a map showing the growing number of ISS emergency AM stations across the country.) The ALERT AM Emergency Advisory Radio System from ISS is itself also flexible. It can be installed almost anywhere, in several different physical formats: in yards adjacent to buildings or in isolated locations. In contrast to low-power FM, low-power AM frequencies are available for licensing 365 days a year and can still be obtained from the Federal Communications Commission nearly everywhere in the United States. ALERT AM offers emergency managers a level of flexibility and control they have never before had, to manage extremely difficult situations, which can make "all the difference" to those they serve.