800 tone alert radios installed in homes

This story was published May 24, 2000

By Mary Hopkin
Herald Oregon bureau

HERMISTON - More than 800 tone alert radios have been placed in homes in Umatilla and Morrow counties since distribution started May 2.

Installation of the remaining 14,700 radios continues this week with workers canvassing homes and businesses in Umatilla and near the southeastern corner of the Umatilla Chemical Depot, said Mike Gerdes of Radio Service Co.

The warning tone alert radios, which are being distributed free as part of the Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program, would be used to alert people about problems occurring at the Umatilla Chemical Depot. They also would provide safety instructions to residents.

The radios are being used to supplement CSEPP sirens, highway reader boards and the Emergency Alert System.

The installation process has been pretty smooth, with only one or two minor glitches, said Jesse Seigal of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

"A couple of weeks ago, we delivered about 68 radios in the wrong sector, and they all had to be switched," he said.

The radios are individually programmed to be placed in specific areas in the CSEPP region. If they aren't placed in the region they are programmed for, the radio alert tone might not be activated if a chemical event occurred. That's why radios will stay in the house they are installed in, even if the residents move.

Most residents have been receptive when the installers, who wear fluorescent vests, show up at the door.

"For the most part, people are pretty friendly," said Radio Services Co. installer Kathy Kenney of Hermiston. "They ask you to come on it and sit down and will offer you a drink of water."

Kenney said being able to speak Spanish has been especially helpful when she has placed the radios in the homes of Hispanic residents.

"You can explain better what it is for," she said. "They hear a lot on the news, but it's better when you walk in and can tell them in their own language."

The company provides residents with an informational pamphlet about the radios, printed in both English and Spanish.

Those with hearing disabilities are given radios with special strobe-light alarms.

Most residents will be contacted by door-to-door installers in the evening, up to 9 p.m. Businesses can expect installers to come by during daytime hours.

Installation takes 20 to 30 minutes.

The radios work best when placed near a window, but they also must be near an electrical outlet. They are equipped with a rechargeable battery that acts as a backup if the power goes out, Seigal said.

Seigal said some locations also may require special antennas to receive broadcasts from the program's two transmitters, one north of Heppner and the other in Washington on a butte north of the Columbia River.

Distribution of all 15,500 radios will take six to seven months.

For more information about the radios or questions about installation or the delivery schedule, call 800-307-7708.

 

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