 |
Does my school have to pay for our radio?
No. NOAA Public Alert Radios will be provided
by the Department of Homeland Security. Schools do not have
to request a radio, they will be delivered directly to the school
from the manufacturer.
Why do I have to register my radio?
The Department of Homeland
Security wants to ensure that each public school in the identified
area acknowledges receipt of the radio and we can contact you with
any further information.
How will the radios be distributed?
Radios will be distributed to selected schools accompanied by a letter,
and a brochure explaining the program's purpose and use of the radio.
Recipients will be instructed to register on-line at http://public-alert-radio.nws.noaa.gov/register/ to confirm receipt and acceptance of property, and to agree that the
radios will be used to receive 'all hazards' public warnings.
Do we have to use a siren to indicate an emergency?
No. Public Alert Radios can be connected to other attention-getting
devices, such as strobe lights, sirens, and peripheral alerting mechanisms
to ensure that people with particular challenges can also benefit from
the safeguards.
What events does the radio recognize ?
As of the date of this document, CEA Public Alert ™ certified devices
in the U.S. have the ability to recognize the following messages:
- 911 Telephone Outage Emergency
- Avalanche Warning
- Avalanche Watch
- Blizzard Warning
- Child Abduction Emergency
- Civil Danger Warning
- Civil Emergency Message
- Coastal Flood Warning
- Coastal Flood Watch
- Dust Storm Warning
- Earthquake Warning
- Emergency Action Notification
- Emergency Action Termination
- Fire Warning
- Flash Flood Watch
- Flash Flood Statement
- Flash Flood Warning
- Flood Statement
- Flood Warning
- Flood Watch
- Freeze Warning
- Hazardous Materials Warning
- Hurricane Statement
- Hurricane Warning
|
- Hurricane Watch
- High Wind Warning
- High Wind Watch
- Evacuation Immediate
- Law Enforcement Warning
- Local Area Emergency
- Nuclear Power Plant Warning
- Radiological Hazard Warning
- Shelter In-Place Warning
- Special Marine Warning
- Special Weather Statement
- Severe Thunderstorm Warning
- Severe Thunderstorm Watch
- Severe Weather Statement
- Tornado Warning
- Tornado Watch
- Tropical Storm Warning
- Tropical Storm Watch
- Tsunami Warning
- Tsunami Watch
- Volcano Warning
- Winter Storm Warning
- Winter Storm Watch
|
What is a NOAA Public Alert Radio?
Also known as the NOAA Weather Radio All-Hazards, NOAA’s Public
Alert Radio is a life-saving early warning tool that notifies radio users of all hazards in
their area 24 hours a day/seven days a week, even when other means of communication are
disabled. The radio will signal an audible alert with an visible indicator light as a “Watch”
or “Warning” to advise on a wide range of emergency situations and post event information
for all types of hazards including: Natural (i.e., earthquakes or avalanches), Environmental
(i.e., chemical releases or oil spills), and Public Safety (i.e., AMBER alerts or 911
Telephone outages).
Which schools are receiving NOAA Public Alert Radios in 2006?
In 2006, NOAA is completing its distribution to public schools in the U.S.
and its territories. This year, 80,000 radios are being delivered to those U.S. public schools
that did not receive these radios during the pilot program conducted in 2005.
Are NOAA Public Alert Radios being sent to schools in states that
already mandate that public schools have radios?
Yes. To ensure that they have the most up-to-date equipment, this year’s
distribution also includes schools in the six states that currently mandate public schools to
have radios. States that mandate that schools have the radios include: Washington,
Tennessee, North Carolina, Maryland, Florida and Mississippi.
Which schools received NOAA Public Alert Radios in 2005?
In 2005, schools in the following cities and two states received
radios.
- Anaheim, CA
- Atlanta, GA
- Boston, MA
- Chicago, IL
- Cincinnati, OH
- Dallas, TX
- Detroit, MI
- Los Angeles, CA
- Houston, TX
- Jersey City, N.J.
|
- Kansas City, MO
- Long Beach, CA
- Minneapolis, MN
- New York City, NY
- Newark, N.J.
- Phoenix, AZ
- Philadelphia, PA
- San Francisco, CA
- Santa Ana, CA
- Washington D.C./Northern Virginia area
|
Will non-public schools receive these radios as well?
The funding for this project was provided through an earmark in the 2006
DHS Appropriations Bill to distribute NOAA Public Alert Radios to schools. The 2005
pilot and the current project will complete the distribution to all U. S. public schools. At
this time, it is not known how much funding remains for further distribution of NOAA
Public Alert Radios to additional categories of schools. When the current distribution is
complete, the funding will be reviewed and a decision made regarding any additional
distribution of radios to schools.
Do schools need to request the Public Alert Radios?
No. Please see the answer to the previous question for details on how the
radios are being distributed.
If a school already has a radio, what should the school do with the pre
existing radio?
Schools should always check with the organization that provided the pre
existing radio to decide the best way to handle it. Possible ways that pre-existing radios
could be handled include leaving it in the school or re-distributing it to another critical
location in the area, such as an assisted living facility or day care center. Entities that
previously provided schools with a radio and want more information on re-distributing a
radio previously purchased with DHS Homeland Security Grant Program money can call
the Department’s Office of Grant Operations at 1-866- 9ASK-OGO (866-927-5646) or
email ASK-OGO@DHS.GOV.
Is there anything different about the NOAA Public Alert Radios
currently being distributed?
The NOAA Public Alert Radios currently being distributed incorporate the
latest technology and standards for advance notification of all types of hazards—not just
weather alerts. Furthermore, the latest radios are programmable to specific regions,
allowing recipients to hear alerts pertinent for their locality.
Who will pay for maintenance, such as new batteries?
The NOAA Public Alert Radio is provided to public schools free of charge,
to help protect our nation’s children by providing early warnings of local hazards. Once the
radio is delivered, however, recipients are responsible for ongoing maintenance, such as
changing the batteries.
Are Citizen Corps Councils required to help their schools program and
test the NOAA Public Alert Radios?
Participation is entirely voluntary.
If a Citizen Corps Council chooses to volunteer to assist in this project,
where should it begin?
If a Citizen Corps Council or program chooses to volunteer assistance
to local schools, then the Council should first communicate with the
local Emergency Managers and together plan a coordinated approach with
the school district and Citizen Corps volunteers. Individual Citizen
Corps volunteers should work under the direction of their Citizen Corps
leadership. After reading the information found at the following links,
Council leaders should contact their local Emergency Manager to coordinate
your efforts:
• The letter sent to all Citizen Corps Councils on September 22 notified Councils
that the radios were being distributed and what their potential roles could
be.
http://www.citizencorps.gov/pdf/Radio/Letter_to_Councils_Re_NOAA_Radios_2006.pdf.
• Information for Citizen Corps volunteers who visit the schools can be found
here:
http://www.citizencorps.gov/pdf/Radio/Citizen_Corps_Volunteer_Info_2006.pdf.
How soon should Citizen Corps leaders contact their local school
districts to assist with the NOAA Public Alert Radio Program?
Citizen Corps leaders should take time to plan and coordinate their approach
to offering assistance. This program is an opportunity to work with schools on their
preparedness and alert plans and to promote communication between emergency
management and school districts on emergency preparedness and response plans. It is also
an opportunity to connect Citizen Corps Councils to local educational leaders so that
schools are integrated into planning and Citizen Corps resources support school district and
school-level preparedness.
What advance notification has been given to schools?
On September 19, 2006, the Department of Education’s Office of Safe and
Drug-Free Schools posted a letter introducing the radios to: the SEA listserv, four
Emergency Response and Crisis Management grantee listservs, School Security Chiefs
listserv (LEAs), and School Safety Center Directors listserv.
How can state and local Emergency Managers and Citizen Corps
identify schools in their jurisdictions?
Although the names of the individual schools in each school district are
available on the NOAA web site as part of the registration section, Citizen Corps and the
Department of Education ask that contacts by Emergency Management or Citizen Corps be
made to the school district office rather than to individual schools. A coordinated contact to
the school district office is important so that the school district, local emergency
management, Citizen Corps and training resources can develop a district-level plan based
on school district needs. Contact information for school districts is available on the
Department of Education link: http://nces.ed.gov/ccd/districtsearch/.
Is it hard to set up a NOAA Public Alert Radio?
No. It is very simple to set up a radio. In fact, some schools may not even
need assistance. For more information on setting up the radio, please see the Volunteer
Information Checklist, located here: http://www.citizencorps.gov/pdf/Radio/Citizen_Corps_Volunteer_Info_2006.pdf. This
document has a checklist for radio recipients and Citizen Corps volunteers explaining how
to register, program and use the radios. You may want to partner on this project with your
local American of Radio Relay League (ARRL) club members, who have experience in
programming and registering the NOAA radios. Visit http://www.helloradio.org/clublist.html to find a local chapter in your area. In addition, local Citizen Corps
trained volunteers could also assist with the programming and registration of the radios. To
contact a local Citizen Corps representative in your area, please visit
http://www.citizencorps.gov/councils/find_council.shtm.
What if the NOAA Public Alert Radio is not receiving a signal or if
there are other technical difficulties?
If you are unable to establish reception for NOAA Public Alert Radios in your area or have
other technical issues, a NOAA Warning Coordination Meteorologist (WCM) for your area
will assist you. You can identify the WCM for your area at
http://www.weather.gov/os/wcm-soo.pdf.
Who should I contact if I still have questions about the NOAA Public
Alert Radio?
For more information, please contact your Warning Coordination
Meteorologist through the National Weather Service’s closest Weather Forecast
Office.
http://www.weather.gov/os/wcm-soo.pdf.
You may also visit NOAA’s program website:
http://public-alert-radio.nws.noaa.gov/proginfo.htm .
What resource contacts are there for this program?
We have provided a pdf document with that information. Simply click
this link to download.
If your question is not among those listed here, please contact
us. |
