Jan. 6, 2005

Emergency management radios response

The emergency management radios you refer to were initially distributed by EMR in 1994/5. There were approximately 150 distributed throughout the Laboratory and Los Alamos County to technical areas, buildings and areas based on discussions with managers from the various locations taking into account population and probability of someone hearing a massage and being able to disseminate the information.

There are now more than 200 radios. The additional radios were purchased by individual groups/organizations recognizing the need/benefit. We do still put out emergency messages over the radio system, however we can only provide information that we receive and if it can be released in a timely fashion.

When the fatal accident occurred on NM 502 in December, we were unaware of the situation as was the Los Alamos Fire Department and Los Alamos Police Department until almost 6 p.m. By the time we were able to track down and verify accurate information it was close to 6:30 p.m., at which time almost all commuters were already on the road. If you have additional questions feel free to contact me at 7-6211.

--Doug Tuggle, Emergency Manager, Emergency Operations (EMR)