Radio and TV stations throughout the state can take an easy step toward being prepared for an emergency by getting Broadcaster Emergency Personnel ID cards for engineering staff members.
Many stations already participate in the Broadcaster Emergency Personnel ID program, but all WBA member stations are invited to participate.
Broadcaster Emergency Personnel ID cards are issued by Wisconsin Emergency Management (WEM). They’re the same cards local police officers, firefighters, and EMTs use in emergency situations. The cards can be used by engineers to help them gain access to a crisis area in order to keep their station’s transmitters up and running.
The cards contain the engineer’s name, company name, title, and photo. The cards are good for seven years, but the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association, as the organization responsible for cards issued to broadcasters, sends renewal notices to stations annually to make sure the WEM database has the most updated cardholder information.
Cards must be requested by a station manager. Instructions and application documents can be found here.
Anyone with questions about the cards is asked to contact Kyle Geissler at kgeissler@wi-broadcasters.org.
