Whistle FM officially Whitchurch-Stouffville's emergency broadcast service
Local radio station will now broadcast all emergency announcements from first responders

YorkRegion.com
April 11, 2017
Ali Raza

Whistle FM 102.9 is officially the town’s emergency broadcast service.

Stouffville’s local radio station will now broadcast all emergency announcements from first responders — Amber Alerts, large scale emergency information, updates and extreme weather warnings.

“With this new system, we are now able to bring valuable information to the residents of Whitchurch-Stouffville during an emergency,” said Whistle FM communications director Brenda Masson.

“This emergency broadcast system is designed to save lives,” she stated in a press release.

The Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) mandated in 2016 that all community radio stations across the country become emergency broadcast services. Whistle FM complied in March 2017 when the town gave the radio station a grant of $6,000.

The grant covered installation costs for a new antenna and required equipment for the emergency broadcast system. The station’s new antenna allows it to broadcast to approximately 22,000 residents in the core of Stouffville.

Whistle FM will now work with emergency services in Whitchurch-Stouffville and York Region to co-ordinate and provide emergency broadcasting.

“This system will benefit residents during an emergency situation, and will provide another means of communicating important, time-sensitive information to the public,” said Whitchurch-Stouffville fire chief Rob McKenzie.

The emergency broadcasts are aired on Whistle FM (102.9 FM) and on whistlefm.com.