The Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Management (OEM) has initiated a network of AM radio stations in mid and north county to help keep the community informed before, during and after local emergencies.
All stations will broadcast key preparedness and disaster response messages 24/7 on AM 530 in English and Spanish.
The stations are spread across the central and northern part of Santa Barbara County in the communities of the Santa Ynez Valley through Lompoc and up through Santa Maria.
The stations are strategically located at sites equipped with backup generators and an uninterruptible power source, which allows them to continue broadcasting even during power outages.
OEM and public safety officials will be able to update broadcast messages remotely, allowing for timely information to be shared without staff onsite at the radio station.
“We recognize how critical it is to be able to deliver time-sensitive information to all communities, especially during rapidly evolving emergencies,” said Kelly Hubbard, county Office of Emergency Management director.
“This effort has been many years in the making and our team worked to place these stations where we could reach the greatest number of community members in mid and north county areas,” Hubbard said.
The stations broadcast important preparedness and emergency information, including:
- Readiness for storms, wildfires, earthquakes, etc.
• Areas under an evacuation order, shelter in place, and other protective actions.
• Temporary evacuation points and human and animal shelter locations.
• Recovery assistance centers and resources.
All Santa Barbara County residents are urged to tune their radio to AM 530 within the broadcast area. Make sure to program handheld and car radios to save AM 530 for future use.
The county-operated AM radio stations are part of a greater effort to revitalize the Radio Ready program by leveraging partner agency and commercial AM/FM radio station capabilities, the county said.
An additional county-operated station in the Cuyama Valley will be started later this year and more stations, commercial and agency-based, are in process of being added in the southern part of the county.
“Our team is reengaging local commercial radio stations on their ongoing interest in participating in the program,” said Hubbard. “Additionally, we are collaborating with south county public safety partners that already manage AM radio stations to formalize an emergency radio broadcast network.
“This partnership will allow the county to share emergency public information through these stations.”
Federal Homeland Security Grant Program funds were used to procure equipment and vendor installation and software services.
All stations are licensed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and subject to the same FCC rules as Travelers’ Information Stations.