"In 1995, whenever we had an emergency in town,
as emergency management coordinator for the borough of Union Beach, I would have to request
assistance from our fire department and first aid, along with OEM personnel. Our departments had to go out in all types of inclement weather
and use their PA system to alert our residents of possible evacuations and instructions. This system was not very efficient, because the public was unable to understand the message. I then found out about an
emergency advisory radio station being installed in another town and
thought this could be the answer to our problems. So I presented the idea to my Local Emergency Planning Council (LEPC). My
LEPC is made up of representatives from fire, first aid, police, school, OEM residents and industry. They agreed that
an emergency advisory radio system could offer clearer communication
and free personnel from having to go out during inclement weather.
"A local industry member of the LEPC, International Flavors and
Fragrances (IFF), at a subsequent meeting, indicated that they too needed a method of alerting the public should an incident happen at their
facility and offered to match any donations we received for the station
– dollar for dollar. So, we sent letters to local businesses and residents to raise half
the required money to establish Union Beach's emergency advisory
radio station. Four months later IFF donated the balance of the necessary
money, and we purchased our system that same year (1995).
"It took us one weekend to get the system up and running.
We installed the antenna on the roof of police headquarters. Station
electronics were installed in our Emergency Operation Center (EOC), located upstairs from police headquarters.
"The system ran flawlessly for about five years, until
the police department installed new jail-cell monitors. During that installation, wires were modified, and we started to
experience a problem: the dispatcher would hear our message through the monitor of the jail cell.
To resolve this, I called Information Station Specialists, the company we purchased this system
from, and explained the problem. They were very helpful and
suggested we purchase filters for these monitors, which we did. The problem
resolved.
"We later moved the system to our public works building, because we could get better
coverage from there. Union Beach's emergency advisory radio station now covers three
municipalities, to whom we have offered use of the system.
"In 2002, Sandy Hook National Park
asked if they could play a message on our system to alert the motorist of
park closures. This is because Union Beach is more northbound than Sandy
Hook and could alert motorists before traffic jams occur. We gave
the Park permission to use one channel and two minutes of talk time
and reserved the right to override any message during an emergency. When we purchased the system we originally bought it with only three minutes of talk time. Eventually we realized we needed more time, so we sent our system back
[to ISS] to be upgraded to five minutes of time.
"We wondered if our public would tune
to our station for emergency information. During a northeast storm that gave Union Beach major flooding, the telephone
at police headquarters rang continuously. Captain Kelly came upstairs to our EOC and asked if we could put a message on the radio station to
ask the public not to call headquarters, unless it was an emergency.
About three minutes after the message went on the air, the police phone became silent. At this point we knew that the public was
listening. In addition, we used this station during a major snowstorm that brought down electrical wires. We asked the public to keep all children in during this storm for safety reasons.
Many people thanked us afterward for being concerned for their
families. We now play messages on a day-to-day operation. These messages advise the public how to prepare for the upcoming seasonal problems.
"When we first got our system we needed a way to let the public know about our radio station. Captain Michael Kelly of our police department called me and said he
had applied for a $2,000 grant being offered by Boat US to help
emergency management get big signs with flashing yellow lights, so the public would be aware to tune
to the system for information. After we received the grant, five 4x6-foot signs with
flashing lights were installed at zero cost to Union Beach.
"After we installed the signs, to tout
the station, we ordered refrigerator magnets the same shape and color as
the signs with the same message and sent one to every home in Union Beach. This was the first expense
the EOC had for the system.
"Our radio station was used during the
September 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center to
broadcast informational messages to the public. We tried to keep them calm and informed of any activity going on. We needed to alert them of the heightened state of
emergency.
"Our radio operates on 1610 AM under
call sign WPIJ669. The station is owned and operated by Union Beach Emergency Management. Our system is currently working off the roof of our public works building with no interference. Next door to
the public works building is the main office for Jersey Central Power and Light.
They also get no interference from the station.
"In conclusion, I suggest purchasing this station to every municipality because of the ease
it offer to alert the public of emergencies. It is a way to provide up-to-date, real-time information. The whole experience
of working with ISS was and still is superb. They answer any questions
I have; and the technical support is extremely efficient. I am not a salesman for
ISS but have definitely sent them many towns looking for a system like ours. It is nice to know
they stand behind and support any problems no matter how old your system is.
"The station has helped our emergency
department enhance community communications, and it provides a better working environment for all our emergency departments.
Residents now tune in and listen to our messages from their homes or
vehicles." |
