If you live in Hermiston or Umatilla and haven’t received your tone alert radio yet, you may need to call and request an installation visit.

Both the radio and the installation visit are free. By calling Radio Service Co., residents can get the emergency radios, which provide emergency instructions during an accident at the Umatilla Chemical Depot west of Hermiston.

Radio Service has spent weeks delivering radios to residences and businesses in Hermiston, Umatilla and Irrigon. The radios are provided by a federal agency as part of the Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program.

If nobody is home, a pink “Sorry We Missed You” tag, printed in English and Spanish, is left on doorknobs. The tags request that occupants call 800-307-7708 to schedule a visit by an installation crew.

Installers, who wear reflective vests and company I.D., typically go door-to-door on weekday evenings between 5 and 9 p.m., and on weekends. Businesses should expect installers during business hours.

Because many people have different schedules, the company is encouraging people in Hermiston and Umatilla who have not yet received their radio to call to set up a delivery.

Residents and business owners in the cities of Stanfield, Echo, Hinkle, Echo Meadows and Stanfield Meadows, and surrounding areas in preparedness sector “D” should expect delivery to begin in their areas this week, according to Radio Services Company Tone-Alert Radio Project Specialist Mike Gerdes.

Complete geographical descriptions of each sector can be found in the CSEPP 2000 Public Awareness Calendar mailed last December.

Recipients will be asked to sign for the radio. Each is programmed for a specific “sector” and must remain where it’s installed for it to operate properly. A strobe light will be available for people requiring a visual means of notification.

Technicians will inquire about a convenient place to install the radio. They should be installed near an electrical outlet and close to a window if possible.

Before departing the premises, installers will explain radio operation and provide an informational pamphlet about the radio printed in both English and Spanish. Linguists are available to assist if Spanish is the primary language spoken. The entire process takes about 10-12 minutes.

Citizens may also call the toll free number if they have questions about the overall delivery schedule or the radio. The delivery schedule can be found on the Internet at http://www.csepp.oem.state.or.us/