WASHINGTON — August 8, 2018 — America’s Public Television Stations (APTS) president and CEO Patrick Butler today commended Houston Public Media for its presentation on public television’s public safety capabilities to the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC):
“Houston Public Media is a true pioneer in demonstrating the lifesaving power of public television’s public safety datacasting infrastructure, and the International Association of Fire Chiefs has clearly taken notice.
“As its Executive Director of Operations Joshua Adams so eloquently explained to the global conference of fire chiefs today, Houston Public Media has connected a powerful network of public safety and first responder organizations, including the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Houston Police Department, Houston Fire Department and others, to keep the millions of citizens of Houston and Harris County safe.
“During the historic flooding caused by Hurricane Harvey, fire and rescue crews were able to assess ground conditions and make informed, life-saving decisions based on the datacasting feed. The network was used to stream live videos of flood conditions from fixed cameras around the city in real time so rescue crews could assess where to help those in need.
“And during large scale, high-profile events, such as the NCAA Final Four, the Super Bowl and the Houston Marathon, first responders were able to use datacasting to share vital information on crowd management and communicate efficiently with each other in real time to meet the security challenges of keeping tens of thousands of people in Houston and Harris County safe.
“Houston Public Media is a leader among a growing number of public television stations doing this vital work of public safety across America, and America’s Public Television Stations will continue to pursue this mission with partners at the federal, state and local levels in hundreds of American communities.”
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About APTS
America’s Public Television Stations (APTS) is a nonprofit membership organization ensuring a strong and financially sound public television system and helping member stations provide essential public services in education, public safety and civic leadership to the American people. For more information, visit www.apts.org.
Contact:
Stacey Karp
202-654-4222
skarp@apts.org