They will begin rolling the new radios out to locals' mailboxes on Feb. 27, and Deputy Judge Executive Jill Williams estimated that every radio will be delivered by the end of March.
The radios, which are intended to replace the black Weather Advisor Alert Radios, will be used to broadcast emergencies for severe weather throughout the county or chemical incidents at the Blue Grass Army Depot.
"They will come out in waves. Everyone's radio won't ship out at the same time. Give it a couple of weeks and if you don't receive one, give the Emergency Management Agency or the Emergency Operations Center a call. They will come out in waves by zone," Williams said.
The radios are specifically programmed by address and zone, meaning they will only work within the address they were originally delivered to Williams said that anyone moving to a new residence should leave the AlertFM at that address.
Following delivery, there will be a 45-day period ending in mid-April to dispose of any remaining previous radios. There will be dumpsters to drop the old radios off at the following locations.
- Madison County Emergency Operations Center, 560 South Keeneland Drive, Richmond.
- Madison County Road Department North, 325 North Madison Avenue, Richmond.
- Madison County Road Department South, 208 Clarksville Lane, Richmond.
- Berea Utilities, 200 Harrison Road, Berea.
Funding for the new radios comes directly from the CSEPP program at no cost to county taxpayers. The new AlertFM radios are smaller than its predecessor, and according to Williams, are also simpler to use. Williams explained that the plan is for the AlertFM radios to be used long after CSEPP and the demilitarization campaign at the Blue Grass Army Depot depart the county.
"These alert radios are just another part of the notification system that is federally-funded through the CSEPP program that we're able to share with residents because of the CSEPP program. It's a benefit that most counties and communities across the state or even the country don't get," Williams said. "I think it's been around 10 years since we last replaced our radios, so it was time for an upgrade...The lifecycle for these devices at home can be used long after the chemical weapons are gone."
According to an estimate from the most recent meeting of the Citizens' Advisory Commission (CAC) and the Chemical Destruction Community Advisory Board (CDCAB) meeting in Dec. 2022, the chemical weapon demilitarization campaign at the Bluegrass Chemical Agent Pilot Plant (BGCAPP) will end on Sept. 20, 2023.
As of Dec. 9, 2022, 325.7 tons—62.3%— of the chemical weapons at Blue Grass Army Depot have been destroyed. The plant is currently deactivating the stockpile of GB M55 rockets, which members of the CAC and CDCAB boards warned was the longest and most dangerous campaign left to be completed.
"There's only one (munition) left, and what's left is the GB M55 rockets. Those are the biggies. That's half our stockpile. and those are the ones that are going to be problems," CAC Chair Doug Hindman said during a June 2022 meeting.
©2023 the Richmond Register (Richmond, Ky.), Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
