The Bear Valley was using the
ScanUSA system for early notification, however within the last year, it
ceased to exist without telling anyone; leaving valley residents in the
larch. County residents may soon be able to participate in a highly
advanced emergency notification system thanks to action taken by the
Board of Supervisors.
The board unanimously approved
a contract with New Jersey-based SwiftReach Networks to provide the
county with a new Telephone Emergency Notification System (TENS) that
would include features far beyond those offered by the county’s current
TENS provider.
SwiftReach offers residents the
ability to add cell phone numbers, work phone numbers, and other phone
numbers besides their home numbers to the list of numbers that would
receive emergency notices. The company also allows residents to sign up
for emergency notices via e-mail and text messaging in a variety of
languages.
The current system has been an
overwhelming success, placing more than 240,000 calls during 20 wildfire
and flood-threat events since it was created in 2004. However, the
current system can only send recorded alerts to land-line phone numbers
provided to the county by the various phone service providers.
“This system has the potential
to put residents in control of how they receive disaster information,”
said Board of Supervisors Chairman Paul Biane.
Emergency officials from
various public safety agencies will eventually discuss and recommend
which of the new features offered by SwiftReach will be available to
residents. In the meantime, the county’s current ability to call
selected land lines will remain in effect and uninterrupted. The Board
of Supervisors authorized $145,000 to fund the SwiftReach contract for
two years, and $155,000 over two years for the services of a computer
mapping technician.
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