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Tonya Papanikolas Reporting Schools are always trying to plan ahead for emergencies to make sure they can keep kids safe. Now the government is offering a way to protect students against severe weather and other dangers.
Right now, if a fire was approaching a school or a chemical spill required evacuations, an emergency response team would get that information to the school affected.
But some soon-to-be-distributed technology is going to take out the middle man and get emergency alerts directly to the schools themselves.
Kids in class hold earthquake drills all the time, but what if a severe weather emergency hit during school?
Larry Newton, State Office of Education: "Anything that can stop something like that from injuring our school children, we need in Utah."
After all, Utah has had a tornado before. Soon, public schools will have a new tool to help warn them of impending disasters.
Larry Newton: "If they can avoid having a schoolyard full of children when the winds come, they get a 20-minute warning or something, they can get those children inside, away from glass."
The Dept. of Homeland Security will soon be giving out hazard warning radios to every school in the country. They broadcast National Weather Service alerts during emergencies. Those alerts cover a wide variety of possible threats.
Kevin Barjenbruch, Warning Coordination Meterologist, National Weather Service: "Winter storm warnings, high wind warnings, severe thunderstorm warnings, to Amber Alerts and evacuation notices for communities."
Five-million dollars will be going to pay for these radios. Distribution should begin in October; it will take a few months to get all the radios out.
