| Publisher: Information Station Specialists |
| Rulemaking Rising |
| Draft of New TIS Rules Moves Up to Chairman's Office for Vote |
| WASHINGTON,
DC:
The
American
Association
of
Information
Radio
Operators'
(AAIRO)
petition
to
clarify
and
enhance
the
public
safety
language
in the
FCC's
Travelers
Information
Station
rules
just
made a
significant
move
upward.
According to AAIRO counsel Frank Jazzo, “The TIS item has been sent up to the Chairman’s Office,” where it may soon be voted on by the Commissioners. According to Jazzo, the Public Safety & Homeland Security Bureau that crafted the rule changes is recommending that the Commissioners move forward quickly on the item. This was confirmed by the Bureau in a conference call regarding TIS on Wednesday, June 19.  With the
departure
of
outgoing
chairman
Julius
Genachowski
and a
second
commissioner
this
spring,
the
five-person
Commission
has only
three
members
currently,
headed
by
interim
chairperson
Mignon
Clyburn.
It is
hoped
that the
streamlined
Commission
might be
able to
move
this
non-controversial
item
into
circulation
for a
vote
promptly.Jazzo was told by sources that the new rules were significantly edited in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy and the Newtown shootings. AAIRO's position is that in the 21st century, public safety and emergency management officials need the flexibility to utilize Travelers Information Stations to instruct/alert motorists directly, before, during and after emergencies. The existing TIS Rules written in the early 1970s do not address that need. See MissionCritical Communications Magazine's June 12 online exclusive: "Emergency Managers Await New Rules for Critical TIS Service." |
| A Fair Question: Safety |
| Texas State Fair Expands Info Radio Service to Protect Guests |
 DALLAS,
TX:
On
October
19,
2012,
visitors
to the
Texas
State
Fair
watched
in
disbelief
as their
historic
5-story
mascot
caught
fire and
burned
before
their
eyes.
“Big
Tex,”
the
Fair’s
gargantuan
greeter
and
personified
public
address
system,
had
experienced
an
electrical
fire
that
forced
him into
early
retirement
at age
60. The same year, the State Fair launched an Information Radio Service whose parallel job it was to welcome and inform patrons – though over a much larger area of 3-5 miles in radius (25-75 square miles). The 1650 kHz signal could be heard all around downtown Dallas, directing motorists to available parking and suggesting efficient travel routes. Now, in 2013, the Fair has made their broadcast antenna and their FCC license permanent, expanding the operation dates to coincide with "Summer Adventures at Fair Park," which runs through August 18. The venue becomes the first event of its kind to operate an Information Radio Station for months in advance of the Fair, which doesn't begin until October. The Texas event joins the South Carolina and Kentucky State Fairs, which have employed Information Radio Stations to prepare patrons with event parking and traffic info as they approach the state fairgrounds. Should visitors be required to exit parking lots due to an emergency, the service can become a critical conduit for public safety information for motorists in harm’s way who might be required to take alternate routes or who could become gridlocked in their vehicles. Large gatherings, such as major golf tournaments and music festivals, have provided this service to visitors in the past and continue to do so. In June  2013,
the
Douglas
County
(Nebraska)
Department
of
Emergency
Management
employed
a
portable
Information
Radio
Station
to
inform
and
advise
30,000
visitors
at the
College
World
Series
games in
Omaha;
Allegan
County’s
Department
of
Emergency
Management
near
Grand
Rapids,
Michigan,
provides
a
similar
service
to
alleviate
traffic
congestion
at an
annual
music
festival
"bash,"
which
draws
70,000
people.
The Farm
Progress
Show in
Decatur,
Illinois,
like the
state
fairs,
will
broadcast
to its
estimated
150,000
attendees
in
August
using
the
EventCAST
Radio
Station
(rental)
provided
by Information Station Specialists.Meanwhile, the Texas State Fair continues to upgrade and enlarge their Information Radio Service for patrons. And Big Tex returns too, this year – like the Information Station – keeping guests informed and safe and providing them an occasional "Howdy" along the way. |
| White Fire Blackens Santa Barbara Hills | ||
| As Info Radio Assists Evacuation | ||
|
SANTA
BARBARA
COUNTY,
CA: Two
thousand
acres
and
three
million
dollars.
That is
the
damage
estimated
to have
been
caused
by an
intense
wildfire
named
“the
white
fire”
that
burned
out of
control
near
Santa
Barbara,
California,
last
month.
An
Information
Radio
Station
has been
credited
with
informing
evacuees
and
likely
saving
lives
and
property
as
residents
lined up
to flee
the
area. “We used the [San Marcos Pass Emergency Radio] SMPERS station in Paradise Canyon, where thousands of people were evacuated during this aggressive wind-driven fire,” states Michael Williams of a nearby volunteer fire company and residents association. “SMPERS was one of the few sources of information for many hours, until the US Forest Service established their formal command and the media set up. In the end, no one was hurt.”
Firefighting agencies have turned to Information Radio Systems in recent years to apprise the public of the dangers, status and the inevitable changes in transportation patterns that occur as a result of fast-moving wildfires. Information Station Specialists engineers designed RadioSTAT, a portable version of the San Marcos Pass radio station that can be moved out of harms way and/or ahead of a wildfire as the fire’s footprint on the landscape changes. Visit the Wildland Residents Association website and see how their radio station SMPERS fits into the community's overall emergency plan. See also a case study about the station. |
PO Box 51, Zeeland, Michigan, USA, 49464-0051, Phone 616.772.2300, Fax 616.772.2966, Email
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