System makes 911 do double duty

The computerized phone system could call up to 800 residents in an hour with recorded instructions during emergencies.

By JAMIE MALERNEE

© St. Petersburg Times, published August 1, 2000

During a disaster, emergency evacuation can be a messy business.

Police and fire officials are called out to knock on doors and announce over public address systems that residents need to leave their homes. Confused homeowners often flood 911 with calls asking what they should do.

It takes a lot of time and workers, officials say, which is why emergency officials are considering buying a new telephone notification system that could cut that effort drastically, making things easier for local government and residents.

"It's like a reverse 911. Instead of folks calling us, we call them," said Bill Appleby, county emergency services director.

The computerized system, if approved by the County Commission, would have access to the phone numbers of every Hernando County resident in the 911 database and could make as many as 800 phone calls in an hour, notifying people of emergency instructions with a voice recording.

Not only could county officials use the system to let residents know about evacuations, hurricanes and flooding, but it could also let people know about sinkholes, chemical spills, or even a dangerous criminal on the loose. A computerized mapping program integrated into the system would allow officials to highlight certain areas in case the disaster or warning was needed only for a part of the county. And the system can be programmed to call back if it receives a busy signal or an answering machine.

"The applications are almost limitless," said Appleby, who had such a system in place when he worked as an emergency manager in Kentucky.

Appleby and his staff are still researching the various companies that make the system, which costs between $40,000 and $50,000 to buy initially and another $1,800 to$2,500 to maintain each year, he said.

The county already has a $20,000 grant that could help pay for the system, and Appleby said he will be courting other public safety agencies to pitch in, including the Hernando County Sheriff's Office and various fire departments.

Downsides to the system are that it would be useless to anyone who does not have a phone or if phone lines were cut. The sticker price has also made some hesitant, said emergency technician Mark Tobert.

But for the most part, initial reactions to the proposed system have been positive.

County Commissioner Paul Sullivan said Monday that the prospect of being able to call so many people so quickly was "pretty exciting."

"It's kind of scary it's so neat," he said.

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