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Emergency Pros Eyeball Hi-Tech Gear
Durant Daily Democrat, Durant, Oklahoma. August 13, 1997. Matt Swearington, Democrat Staff Writer
KINGSTON - Supporting emergency management efforts is the topic of a three-day workshop at Lake Texoma Lodge hosted by the Oklahoma Department of Civil Emergency Management.
ODCEM is the state agency responsible for disaster preparedness and recovery.
It is partners with the Oklahoma Emergency Management Association which is made up of state and local full-time employees and volunteers throughout the state.
"Our workshop will focus on the importance of supporting local emergency management efforts," Said Tom Feuerborn, director of the Oklahoma Department of Civil Emergency Management.
"Information Technology is an important part of what is available to help emergency managers, at all levels, save lives and protect property before, during, and after a disaster.
Among those attending are Johnny Shepherd, director of Durant/Bryan County Emergency Management and Deputy director Patrick Barkley.
Ben Frizzell, public information officer for the Department of Civil Emergency Management, says Durant has one of the best emergency programs in the state, equipped with the latest storm warning technology.
"They're pretty much a leading edge program in Durant," Frizzell said.
Among some of the new technology showcased at the workshop which Durant has is the OK-FIRST program, Oklahoma's First-response Information Resource System using Telecommunications.
This program provides training on the use of new equipment to allow local officials immediate access to critical weather information.
The new computer equipment allows access to 114 automated weather stations and 14 radar sites throughout the state, according to Shephard.
"We can follow several different products of weather service -- it will allow us to be more mobile as far as storms go," Shepherd said recently.
Previously, only one storm can be monitored at a time, the new computer allows viewing of four different aspects of a storm.
The funding is from a $549,910 grant from the Telecommunications Information and Infrastructure Assistance Program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration.
"We are one of 10 that are subsidized, it did not cost the city of Durant anything," Shepherd said, adding that the department functions on a low budget, receiving most of its funds from grant or donations from area individuals and businesses.
"We take a lost of pride in the fact that we got all of this for free," Shepherd said.
Other presentations at the workshop will be provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency on regional and national programs.
The workshop continues through Thursday.
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