In the mid 1990s, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) set aside 14 radio frequencies for home and personal use. These frequencies are known as the Family Radio Service (FRS), and mini walkie-talkie radios that use these frequencies have become increasingly popular among families. At ski areas, when mom and dad want to ski on one trail and their kids want to wander off on another, the walkie talkies that allow them to stay in touch have become an instant success on the slopes.
With so many people taking advantage of the new radios, ski areas have an opportunity to monitor the FRS frequencies and use members of the skiing public as additional eyes and ears at their resort. Very often, when a skier or snowboarder spots some trouble that area management would like to know about, the customer has no easy or immediate method of reporting the problem. Occasionally, these problems are forgotten by the end of a run and go unreported. At best, a report from a concerned customer will be delayed until it is reported to an employee, who will eventually relay the information to management.
By monitoring a specific frequency in the FRS and alerting the skiing public that your area will listen on that channel, customers can have an instant communications conduit to management. Area management can, in turn, respond much faster to problems. In particular, if guests spot an injured skier or a dangerous situation, they can relay information immediately to a monitoring ski patrol.
Keep in mind that the FRS channels are intended only for families and individuals for non-business use. Businesses (such as ski resorts) may not use the FRS for normal business operations. Although many businesses violate this rule, they risk sanctions by the FCC which can levy fines against violators and confiscate radio equipment. However, the FCC is very lenient in allowing the use of any radio frequency in an emergency situation such as a customer summoning aid for an injured person. Consequently, using an FRS radio in an emergency may be allowed, but notifying management that a lift operator needs a break, for example, would not be permitted.
From a technical standpoint, the radios are for use in line-of-sight transmissions and reception of a transmission will be affected by terrain. Although the radios are not very powerful (they are limited to one-half watt of power by the FCC), line-of-sight reception can range up to two miles. The radios operate in the UHF frequency band of the radio spectrum, giving them very good indoor reception capabilities. Most FRS radios also have a privacy code feature that allows the unit to block out transmissions from other FRS users and only receive transmissions from other radios using the same privacy code. The cost of a FRS radio transceiver can range from $25 to $150 each.
In order for the monitoring program to work, resorts will have to do two things. First, a resort must put the equipment in place to monitor the Family Radio Service. This equipment can be as simple as purchasing an FRS radio, setting it to a chosen channel and privacy code and assigning someone to monitor it. Another method would be to purchase a scanning receiver and to program in the proper radio frequency (scanners are available at most home electronics stores like Radio Shack). However, scanning receivers do not have the capability to transmit a message to another radio in an emergency—they are receivers only. Scanners also will not have privacy code capability.
The second requirement for the monitoring program to work is to get the word out to your guests. Posting notices stating that “THIS RESORT MONITORS FAMILY RADIO SERVICE FOR EMERGENCIES ON CHANNEL 9, PRIVACY CODE 11,” OR “IN CASE OF EMERGENCY, NOTIFY SKI PATROL ON FAMILY RADIO CHANNEL 9, PRIVACY CODE 11.” Of course your area can choose its own frequency and code to monitor, but the “9-11” combination is easy to remember in an emergency.
The Family Radio Service has allowed skiing families to stay in close communication even when separated on the slopes at your resort. By implementing the FRS monitoring program, your area can also stay close to your guests—and their problems.
