Florida First: FDEM leverages innovative technology to expand public safety messaging statewide

Press release from Florida Division of Emergency Management and Futuri

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Today, the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM), in partnership with the University of Florida (UF), announced a nationwide and Florida First: the successful launch of the first BEACON (Broadcast Emergency Alerting and Communications Operations Network) site at public radio station WUFT-FM in Gainesville, operated by the UF College of Journalism and Communications (UFCJC). This first of many groundbreaking locations will provide a 24/7/365 text-to-speech platform that automates the broadcasting of critical information before, during, and after a disaster to the public.

“Under the Governor’s leadership, the state is empowered to leverage technology and find innovative solutions to best serve Floridians,” said FDEM Executive Director Kevin Guthrie. “Following the active 2024 hurricane season, we saw a need to expand outreach platforms to ensure residents and visitors are equipped with the timely information they need to make the best decisions for themselves and their families during an emergency. This new technology will allow us to target safety messaging from FDEM to communities before, during, and after a disaster using the direct, reliable, and resilient connection of radio on a dedicated channel that’s always on.”

When a storm or other disaster strikes, power and cell phone tower outages can cause interruptions in a community’s ability to receive critical safety information. BEACON combines new technology with the 100-year-old power of broadcast radio to increase accessibility and get messages directly to the communities that need it most via AM radio, FM HD channels, and the BEACON mobile app.

“Futuri understands that AI can and should be a force for good,” said Daniel Anstandig, CEO and founder of Futuri. “Futuri, along with FEDM and the University of Florida, identified a gap in the timely delivery of critically important messaging to the public, providing the opportunity to introduce new critical communication infrastructure to Florida’s – and other communities’ – hardest hit disaster areas. This first-of-its-kind communications tool automates important updates and advisories into radio broadcasts voiced by AI – getting potentially life-saving information to the community faster than ever before.”

“The University of Florida’s public media enterprise, consisting of WUFT-TV, WUFT-FM, and the Florida Public Radio Emergency Network (FPREN), has been a national leader in providing innovative, unique, and powerful tools to drive greater connectivity between public safety agencies like FDEM and millions of Floridians,” said UFCJC Dean Hub Brown. “BEACON is the natural evolution of this commitment to providing unfettered access to critical safety information, directly from trusted agencies, during the worst of natural disasters.”

Safety messaging automatically uploaded from real-time National Weather Service and IPAWS (Integrated Public Alert & Warning System) alerts, as well as updates from FDEM and local county emergency management offices, are converted to high-quality, natural-sounding speech and broadcast on dedicated radio channels. Currently, this text-to-speech conversion will deliver updates in both English and Spanish, with plans to add Haitian Creole and other languages in the near future.

BEACON’s dedicated radio and TV feeds broadcast easy-to-understand preparedness information, even when there are no active disasters. This includes actionable steps residents can take to protect themselves and their families before, during, and after an emergency. With the ability to reach vulnerable populations through resilient broadcast technology, BEACON is essential for emergency managers in today’s evolving media landscape.

FDEM will continue to work with WUFT and FPREN, as well as technology partner Futuri, to expand to additional regions of the state. The WUFT BEACON stream is available to listeners on FM radio frequency 89.1 HD4, via audio stream at WUFT.org, and on the BEACON mobile app, available for download from the App Store and Google Play.