Boardman next to get alert radios

This story was published Sat, Jul 15, 2000

By Mary Hopkin
Herald Oregon bureau

HERMISTON , Ore. - Distribution of tone alert emergency radios has begun in Boardman, one of the final area to receive the radios.

Officials say distribution in western Umatilla County and northern Morrow County so far has gone smoothly and should be complete by Aug. 9, well ahead of the Oct. 20 deadline.

So far, about 8,800 of the 15,000 radios have been installed, said Rick Kammerer, project manager for the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

"We should be completely done doing quality checks and a physical sweep of addresses that were vacant and received 'We missed you' tags by the end of August," Kammerer said.

The radios, which are being given to residents at no charge, are designed to sound an alert if a release of nerve agent occurs at the Umatilla Chemical Depot. The radios then can provide safety instructions to residents.

The radios will augment sirens, highway reader boards and the area's Emergency Alert System during a chemical emergency or other life-threatening hazard. The emergency alert system is being installed as the depot prepares to incinerate the nerve agents.

The door-to-door installation team visits residents in the evening until 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 during electrical outages.

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 might not be activated if a chemical event occurred. Because of that, residents are asked not to remove the radios and take them if they move.

The installers, who are with Radio Services Co., wear special reflective vests and company identification badges. Residents should ask to see the badges, said Mike Gerdes of Radio Services.

Gerdes said Radio Services has about 56 installers in the field daily.

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

 

Copyright 2002 Tri-City Herald. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.