Why You May Want to Add a Two-Way Radio to Your Household Emergency Kit

Be prepared for any emergency with a two-way radio system for your family. Take a few minutes and read this valuable article to learn how emergency walkie-talkie radios can keep your family safe and connected in the event of an unexpected natural disaster or other type of emergency situation.

The Benefits of Using a Two-Way Radio for an Emergency We never like to think of such situations, but when wild weather or a widespread disaster hits, you want to make sure you're fully prepared. Whether it's a big snowstorm, a powerful hurricane or a major earthquake, not only can telephone land lines go down. Cell phone service might also be interrupted. If cell phone towers don't have automatic backup systems, they will lose power. Even if they are fully powered, flooding or heavy winds can bring down cables. Increased traffic can easily overload the system, which we've seen during even short-term emergencies like Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Sandy. A two-way radio system lets you quickly connect with family members and stay connected. There are family radios available with integrated NOAA radio service, which is especially useful. The NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards system (NOAA is the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) broadcasts emergency information around the clock. This includes natural emergencies like earthquakes, avalanches and hurricanes, environmental hazards such as oil spills and chemical releases and public safety alerts such as 911 telephone outages and AMBER alerts.

Using Two-Way Radios as Part of Your Family's Outdoor Emergency Kit If your family frequently enjoys activities like hiking, camping, boating, skiing or other outdoor adventures, two-way radios can be an essential part of your outdoor emergency kit. Family walkie-talkie units are easy for children to learn how to operate, which means they can safely go off on their own and are always connected to you. When camping in a remote area, cell phone coverage might be spotty or non-existent. This is where hand-held two-way radios truly shine. So long as everyone is within range, you can easily communicate, regardless of where you happen to be. Maybe you're skiing on different courses of a ski resort or someone has wandered off the main trail on a family outing at a National Park. Walkie-talkies give you clear communications and peace of mind.

Family-Friendly Two-Way Radios with No FCC License Required In addition to outdoor sports and family camping trips, family emergency radios are extremely useful at amusement parks, festivals and even at the mall. While it might not be a national emergency, a lost child is an upsetting family emergency, but with a two-way radio, they're never lost for long. Another big benefit of two-way radios for families is that there are specific radio bands that do not require an FCC license to operate. The Family Radio Service (FRS) band is exactly that, a set of radio channels set aside specifically for family and personal use. The Multi-Use Radio Service (MURS) is another set of channels in specific frequencies that you can use without an FCC license. These services make it easy and affordable for families to add a two-way radio system into their household emergency kit.