"I have recently moved out of the Antelope Valley for an assignment in Connecticut, but I am still very much involved in our emergency communications activities in Mono County because I will be returning home when my job here is done. I along with others in the community were on the ground floor of getting what we called AVIS (the Antelope Valley Information System) going in the area. Originally we had robust support from the County Sheriff who is the County OES, but for various reasons he pulled his support and the sponsor of the program shifted to the Antelope Valley Volunteer Fire Department. The services provided to the community remain unchanged. I am very please to hear that you are considering the AVIS type systems across the county, that was the vision of our original group. We had hopped that the AVIS would serve as a model that other communities in the County would follow. I will do what ever I can to help you in your effort.

"The company that we purchased our equipment from was ISS. I do not want to sound like I am trying to push this company, you'll have to determine what company and equipment is best suited for your situation. But what I can do is say from my personal experience, ISS is an exceptional company. Their product does what is advertised and since I put the station on the air, I have had absolutely zero technical difficulty. ISS stands behind their products with excellent technical support. Their assistance with licensure was also well worth the extra costs. I hope you check them out because I am confident you will like what you see and they are competitive. Okay the commercial is over.

"AVIS is covered by a fairly well written memorandum of understanding between the community that owns and operates the equipment and emergency service providers and the County Board of Supervisors that details the what, who, when, how, and why of the station operation. It is written in enough detail that participants know what to expect, but there is enough flexibility to take care of situations as they arise without a lot of bureaucratic problems. Dick Padgett, whom I assume you talked to, can send you a copy of the MOU. It should give you an idea on how to structure the management of your program. One piece of advice, avoid having CalTrans own and operate the system. If they do, you will have absolutely no control over the station or the transmission content. I would stress that the system be owned and operated by a community interest group who has a stake in the safety of the community."