MOST NEW ALERT RADIOS DELIVERED

By Ray King/THE COMMERCIAL STAFF
Monday, October 3, 2005 9:56 AM CDT

The distribution of new radios designed to warn area residents of a possible emergency at the Pine Bluff Arsenal is almost complete, according to the coordinator of the Jefferson County Office of Emergency Management.

Wally Hunt said new tone alert radios are intended to warn people in the Immediate Response Zone (IRZ), which includes parts of Jefferson and Grant counties, of an accident at the arsenal, as well as potentially severe weather.

"The IRZ is the geographic area most likely to be affected by an accidental chemical release at the arsenal," Hunt said. "It encompasses territory within a radius of about nine-and-a-half miles from the chemical weapons storage site." Hunt said about 8,000 of the new radios have already been delivered to homes and businesses in the IRZ and will eventually replace the gray tone alert radios that were distributed years ago.

"The technology associated with the old radios is outdated and replacement parts are scarce," he said.

Even though new radios have been distributed, Hunt said area residents should hold on to the old ones for now, and leave them plugged in. "The old radios will not be phased out entirely until the new system has been thoroughly evaluated for accurate performance and consistent reliability," he said. "In the event of an emergency, both the old radios and new radios will be activated."

He also said the old radios will be collected when the new system is fully operational. "We've had reports that people are throwing away their old radios," Hunt said. "However, we need to get the old ones back so that we can account for them." Technical problems that have resulted in some of the new radios receiving unintelligible beeps or occasional voice transmissions from distant locations can be avoided by always pressing the reset button, he said.

"The reset button puts the radio on standby, and it remains silent unless there is a weather watch or warning from the National Weather Service or a transmission from the arsenal," Hunt said. He said anyone in the immediate response area who has not received one of the new radios can request one by calling the Office of Emergency Management in Jefferson County at 541-5470.

In Grant County, call 942-3333.

"Should there be a chemical emergency at the arsenal, tone alert radios will not be the only method employed to warn the public," Hunt said. "Outdoor sirens and radio and television stations will also be used extensively."