Cell phone users must register for REVERSE 911® emergency notification

February 18, 2009
Santa Paula News

It’s hard to tell exactly how many cell phone users there are in Santa Paula, but there are only 106 smart ones, according to the latest figures of those who have registered for the 911 emergency reverse notification system.

By Peggy KellySanta Paula TimesIt’s hard to tell exactly how many cell phone users there are in Santa Paula, but there are only 106 smart ones, according to the latest figures of those who have registered for the 911 emergency reverse notification system. The life-saving 911 emergency telephone service turned 41 years old Monday, February 16, marking the anniversary of the nation’s first such system introduced in Haleyville, Alabama.Now, there is REVERSE 911®, an outbound notification system used for time-sensitive, mass distribution of emergency messages. The system may be used to deliver alerts when there is a threat to the health or safety of residents in the cities of Camarillo, Fillmore, Moorpark, Ojai, Oxnard, Port Hueneme, Santa Paula, and the unincorporated areas of Ventura County.“The system,” according to Santa Paula Police Chief Steve MacKinnon, “is particularly effective in times of crisis, when rapid communication to a targeted group of citizens or emergency responders is critical.” Citizens may be given information regarding evacuation notices, hazardous material releases, community-policing activities, or alerts to boil water if necessary.When residents receive a REVERSE 911® message, it is important to listen carefully and follow all instructions provided in the alert. SPPD Dispatch Supervisor Chris Cook said the system is vital during “major emergencies or other incidents when people have to be notified immediately... obviously, two dispatchers” could not notify the city’s approximately 30,000 citizens living in 8,500 households in a timely manner.“The whole city, even the non-published numbers are also included in the system,” which is regularly updated by landline companies. But Cook cautioned that those owning a cell phone must register for emergency 911 notification.
Cell phones “are not directly entered” into the system, and “we want information to get to them fast. We get a biweekly report from the county, and there are only 106 residents currently signed up to receive cell phone notifications.”Cook is a firm believer in the program, which he believes is “excellent; the capabilities of it, the mapping inside the program is amazing... it’s a very, very good program.” The system is also “beneficial to dispatchers... in an emergency dispatch won’t have to try to conduct a mass notification without diverting attention from the emergency itself.”Cook stresses when landline and cell phone customers receive a REVERSE 911® notification, “Do not call back to validate” that an emergency is occurring and risk wasting time, as well as overwhelming dispatch, as “it is valid information.”It is also important for residents not to rely on REVERSE 911® notifications as their only means of emergency information. The system may be used in conjunction with information provided to the media, directions given by emergency responders, and information posted on official city, county and government websites.The REVERSE 911® system is able to send notifications to landline telephones, TTY phones, cellular phones, Voice Over Internet Protocol phones, and e-mail/text addresses. Currently, the Ventura County REVERSE 911® database includes both listed and unlisted landline phone numbers for AT&T and Verizon customers.Residents who want to receive notifications on their cellular, TTY or VoIP phones will need to register online or call the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office of Emergency Services at (805) 648-9283. For more information on REVERSE 911® in Ventura County, or to register phone numbers online, residents can click on the “Disaster Information” link on the County of Ventura homepage (www.countyofventura.org) and select the REVERSE 911® icon.



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