Emergency management office mails tone-alert radio batteries

FULTON, NY – Replacement batteries have been mailed to county residents who have an emergency planning tone-alert weather radio from the Oswego County Emergency Management Office.

Emergency Services Program Coordinator Terry Bennett said that replacement batteries are mailed to residents on an annual basis to ensure proper operation of these radios.

The tone-alert weather radios are provided to homes within the 10-mile Emergency Planning Zone surrounding the nuclear power plants that are out of hearing range of emergency sirens.

The radios are part of the Oswego County Radiological Emergency Preparedness Plan’s prompt notification system and are the property of Oswego County.

The battery distribution is part of the on-going maintenance program sponsored by the Emergency Management Office in conjunction with the Nine Mile Point Nuclear Station, a division of Constellation Energy Nuclear Group, and Entergy Nuclear to allow for prompt notification of the public during an emergency.

Any resident who has a tone-alert weather radio and has not received a new battery by April 19 should contact the Emergency Management Office at 591-9150.

Letters have been mailed to residents of the Emergency Planning Zone who are eligible to receive a free radio but who have not been issued one.

“If you’ve received the letter and would like a tone-alert radio, please call our office,” Bennett said. “If you either have a radio issued by our office or do not wish to receive one, please fill out and return the form included with the letter to us.”

Residents receiving a new battery are reminded that batteries are recyclable in Oswego County.

Bennett emphasized that, upon hearing either the siren or tone-alert radio signal, people should tune their AM/FM radio or television to an Emergency Alert System station for further information and instructions.

EAS stations are listed in the 2013 Public Emergency Response Information Calendar; the yellow pages of the telephone book; on posters placed in public areas; and on the EMO page on the county website.

The calendar can be found on the county website at www.oswegocounty.com/emo

Sirens are tested quarterly and a full-scale simultaneous activation of all sirens takes place once a year.

The tone alert radios are tested every Wednesday, generally between 11 a.m. and noon.

Any resident who has a question concerning any aspect of emergency planning may call the Emergency Management Office at 591-9150 or 1-800-962-2792. missing or outdated ad config

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