BURBANK : City Seeks Frequency for Emergency Radio

Burbank is looking for a low-band AM radio frequency for use as an emergency radio station to broadcast information to residents during the next earthquake or other disaster.

Disaster coordinator Rich Baenen said city officials realized the radio station, to be heard only in Burbank, was necessary because the city had problems getting information out to the public in the aftermath of the Northridge earthquake.

“We actually did pretty well in getting information out with the resources we had,” Baenen said, referring to the bulletins printed by the city in the days after the disaster.

“But there were some limitations to that because it’s not immediate, and the distribution is not as wide as we would want it to be.”

Recently, Burbank hired a company to search for a frequency where it can set up a station.

The search is expected to take about six months.

If it’s in place when the next earthquake hits, Baenen said the city hopes to be able to broadcast earthquake survival information within the first few hours after the disaster.

The station would cost about $25,000 to set up, which Baenen said he hoped could be mostly reimbursed from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

“I don’t think this will make things 180 degrees different, but it will be one of the tools,” Baenen said.

Between emergencies, the station could be used to broadcast local traffic reports.