KCZY Radio Prepares for Severe Weather with Intensive Emergency Management Training

By Kyler Edsitty

[Crownpoint, NM, November 24, 2025] – As winter approaches and icy storms make their way across the country, Tribal radio stations are preparing themselves and their communities for whatever Mother Nature has in store. To better equip themselves, KCZY Radio staff members participated in Native Public Media’s (NPM) Emergency Management Plan (EMP) Training. Located in rural Crownpoint, NM, and on the Navajo Technical University campus, KCZY learned how to protect its staff and students. Through this training, the station quickly discovered and adopted new methods to protect itself that were previously missing.

NPM is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting Tribal broadcasters across Indian Country. Under its Training and Education Program, NPM developed the EMP Training using Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) standards to ensure Tribal radio and TV stations have EMP plans in place to protect their staff, communities, and facilities.

The EMP training begins by covering the basics of emergency management for specific situations, which includes preventing/mitigating hazards, preparing for them, responding to them, and recovering from them. This standardized approach ensures radio stations are tenaciously aware of potential emergencies. During this phase, the staff realized they are committed to informing not only their staff, but their student body and the surrounding reservation.

The next part of the training includes auditing the station’s capabilities in responding to different emergencies and what safeguards may already be in place. Through this training, KCZY Radio staff realized that emergency management initiatives were in place at the university but needed to be further reinforced among radio staff and students. The staff also noticed fundamental safety measures that needed to be implemented immediately, which were previously undetected.

"The training provided us with valuable insight on many levels,” KZCY Radio General Manager, Cuyler Frank stated. “It informed us on securing a safe working environment by staying current with best practices and maintenance regulations. At KCZY, we were unaware of basic safety necessities such as an extinguisher, first aid kits, and regular maintenance or upgrades.”

From here, KCZY staff assessed the station’s location and identified potential hazards that could affect station operations. Given the region, the staff had concerns for seasonal flooding and winter snowstorms. With these hazards in mind, the staff created plans for each emergency. The station’s robust internal communication and remote broadcasting equipment would make these plans even more effective. Therefore, they will be able to continue broadcasting emergency messages and vital information.

By the end of the training, the radio station had a draft EMP nearly complete and ready to implement.

“A big thank you to Native Public Media … for presenting the information; we all gained valuable information to protect KCZY radio station and its students and staff," Frank said.

With newfound knowledge, KCZY Radio is better prepared for emergencies so they can continue what they thrive in doing: broadcasting cultural news and content that their community enjoys.

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