|
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.
|
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.
|
