“It will be like having a public address system or storm siren on each block,” said Woodward City/County Emergency Management Director Matt Lehenbauer as he discussed a new emergency warning system.

The Regional Communications Network Emergency Warning System (ReCoN EWS) that is up and running in Woodward, Harper and Ellis Counties, transmits emergency messages directly to a special desktop radio receiver. In addition to an FM radio, the receiver is an advanced emergency weather radio and also an emergency warning receiver.

The system, Lehenbauer said, covers any type of weather emergency, utility outage, wildfires, winter storms, school emergencies or closings and anything else imaginable.

Lehenbauer said the goal is to have radio receivers in public safety entities, schools and all critical infrastructure areas.

The receivers have currently been delivered to public safety entities in Woodward County and are being received in Harper and Ellis Counties.

“It will be an ongoing project for the rest of the year trying to get radios put in different places,” Lehenbauer said.

Work on the program started in early 2007 when the City of Woodward and Woodward County began researching technologies for a mass public warning system and chose ReCoN EWS for its versatility and cost.

Small grants were obtained to cover some of the costs and city and county assisted with some funding. An annual grant was received for fees and upkeep of the system.

K-101 radio offered to host the system for Northwest Oklahoma at no cost, a move that saved government entities an estimated $1 million, Lehenbauer said. The warnings will go out over K-101’s signal.

Work on installing the system started in January of 2008 and Lehenbauer said it is now fully operational.

Lehenbauer said thanks to sponsors, the system’s cost was only about half the cost of one storm siren, “yet is able to reach persons over a 15,000-square mile area.”

One goal of emergency management is to get the radios in each school.

Beginning with the fall school semester, parents and students could sign up to receive alerts and messages over the receiver, cell phone and e-mail from school officials in the coverage area, if the school is participating in the program. The system and maintenance is free with the only cost the receivers and the only work for the school system would be keeping the lists of students and parents, Lehenbauer said.

“For example in Woodward County, it will cost approximately $3,500 to outfit every school in the county, put at least one receiver in each school, one with the principal and one with the superintendent of schools,” said Lehenbauer.

Lehenbauer, who will be talking to school boards over the next few weeks about the system, said emergency management is looking for business sponsors to offset the costs, and the emblem of the business or corporation would go on the radio receiver.

One other feature of note is that not every radio will be activated for every emergency. Officials can localize the emergency warning where needed.

A flashing light is available by special order to hook up for the hearing impaired.

Beginning March 1, the radios will be on sale to the general public, Lehenbauer said. Receivers will cost no more than $120 each and will be available at Radio Shack and G&G; Electronics in Woodward and Stevens Propane in Arnett.

The system will also be offered to other neighboring counties in Northwest Oklahoma and into the Texas Panhandle.

More information can be obtained online at www.woodwardem.org/ews. Also, if you are interested in sponsoring the receivers for schools, you can call the Woodward County E-911 Center at 254-8518 and leave a message for the emergency management office. You can also e-mail director@woodwardem.org.