Jefferson County is expanding radio programming on its emergency broadcast system to attract more listeners so that when disaster strikes they’ll know to tune in for more information.
Doug Dodge, the county’s disaster and emergency services coordinator, said in a recent email that the EBS was established in 2002 so the county could quickly communicate with residents during major incidents — such as a wildfire evacuation — where staffing, geography and other challenges could otherwise impede the ability to pass along important safety information. The county had suffered some severe wildfires prior to 2002, which showed the need for such a way to communicate, he wrote.
Dodge heads the Jefferson County Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC), a county-run community organization that prepares for responding to emergencies. The committee dedicates a three-person subcommittee to the EBS — Dodge sits on it — which comprises seven low-power FM radio frequencies: 98.3, broadcast to Basin; 105.9 to Boulder; 106.1 to Cardwell; 103.7 to Elk Park; 100.3 to Jefferson City; 105.9 to Montana City; and 106.5 to Whitehall.
