Ozark Community Center’s FEMA storm shelter gets remote access capability for quicker response to opening doors during threatening weather

OZARK, Mo. (KY3) – The Ozark Community Center (known as “The OC”) is not only the home of family fun and activities in this Christian County town, but it’s also the site for one of two public FEMA shelters in Ozark that can hold over 800 people.

And in the Ozarks where the old saying is, “If you don’t like the weather, wait a few minutes and it will change,” getting a shelter open on a moment’s notice can be a challenge for any school or community.

In fact, in numerous cases members of the public show up before the storm shelter is unlocked, waiting for someone to physically show up with the keys to open it.

“In our case, previously there was a chain of command that included city staff who would have to go out into inclement weather to unlock that facility,” explained Hayden Ponsar, Ozark’s Parks and Recreation Director.

But now the OC has addressed that problem with a new remote access system that allows delegated city staff members to immediately unlock the shelter through a phone app.

“No matter what the situation is, even if we’re in a different country, we can remotely unlock that facility and see that it is safe and ready for the public to access,” Ponsar said as the app also includes views from cameras mounted at the shelter. “We have several staff members with the app so even if I’m on a beach somewhere, they can push a button from their home and unlock the shelter.”

The system operates the same way smart home systems do in allowing homeowners to control appliances, thermostats, lights and other devices remotely through an internet connection by using a smartphone.

“The system is operated on a duel-cellular back-up,” Ponsar pointed out. “So if the Wi-Fi goes down the system still works. And our FEMA shelter is on a power grid. If that goes down, we’ve got a generator. And then there’s a lithium battery attached to the unit that’s our third line of defense to a power failure.”

The new remote system will eliminate circumstances like the one on April 28th when the shelter remained locked up during a weather alert because the police department was dealing with an injury crash on Highway 65 and couldn’t unlock it.

“The city staff at that point (in charge of opening the shelter) were first responders,” Ponsar said. “And they were tied up with an incident.”

Because it will get the shelter open faster in severe weather, this new phone app could be the difference in life and death so Ozark residents appreciate its importance.

“It’s a wonderful idea,” said Ozark resident Laura Roberts. “It’s nice to see that Ozark is keeping up with technology in making life a lot simpler and safer.”

The price tag for the new remote access system was around $10-12,000 and Ponsar said it’s certainly worth the money spent.

“I definitely think it could save lives,” he noted. “It also will provide some peace of mind for people who rely on this place to keep them safe in inclement weather. People seek this shelter and to get here and find a locked door is terrifying. So to know that the doors at the OC FEMA shelter will always be open is critical.”

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