Board To Approve Emergency Outdoor Warning System For Mountain Communities

(CNS) – The Board of Supervisors is slated Tuesday to sign off on a proposed emergency warning system for residents of multiple Riverside County communities in the San Bernardino National Forest, providing alerts for wildfires and other disasters.

The Idyllwild & San Jacinto Mountains Emergency Outdoor Warning System would place speakers at fire stations, schools, water district buildings, camps and other designated locations for the broadcast of information critical during any type of public hazard that could impact travel or create conditions that warrant precautionary actions to remain safe.

The system would additionally include alerts at non-emergency traveler information stations, advising visitors of potential delays and disruptions that could jeopardize their safety or otherwise impact their plans.

The Department of Facilities Management, in conjunction with the Emergency Management Department, selected San Diego-based Genasys Inc. to handle the design and construction of the speaker network.

An initial appropriation of $210,768 from a U.S. Department of Homeland Security Grant will need to be approved by the board.

Partnering in the project is the Mile High Radio Club, an amateur radio organization that relies on volunteer "HAM" operators throughout the mountain communities, including Garner Valley and Poppet Flats, to disseminate timely information to their neighbors.

The five-phase project is expected to take at least two years to complete.

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