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    News

    LB City Hall Moves To Procure Reverse-911 Emergency Alert System


    (September 16, 2005) -- Long Beach city management is scheduled to ask the City Council at its Sept. 20 meeting to authorize an $85,000 contract that will bring LB a reverse-911 emergency alert system...one in which City Hall calls LB residents.

    "Examples of situations in which the system might be activated include hazardous material releases, flood warnings, missing persons, criminal activity and terrorism incidents, or other natural disasters such as earthquakes and tsunamis," writes Curtis Tani, City Hall's Director of Technology Services in a memo approved by City Manager Jerry Miller. Mr. Tani's memo adds that the Reverse 911 system "can be used to broadcast emergency information to a precise geographic area or to the entire community. In the vast majority of the situations requiring system activation, only a portion of the City would need to be contacted. In these events, the City will be able to use the existing internal telephone infrastructure to initiate the calls. Based on the planned configuration, it is estimated that the system would be able to place about 3,000 calls per hour..."

    The management proposed item would authorize a three year contract Sigma Communications, Inc. to procure the system.

    Mr. Tani's memo states in pertinent part:

    Recent natural disasters, such as Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf States, have demonstrated the need for local governments to prepare and implement effective public warning strategies. On March 22, 2005, the City Council received a report on the City’s efforts to procure an emergency telephone notification system. This technology would increase the City’s capability to provide emergency information, by placing thousands of calls to the public in a short period of time. The City currently uses such outlets as KKJZ 88.1 FM, LBTV Channel 8, and the Internet to communicate with the community. This telephone notification system will augment our existing public communication methods.

    A telephone notification system can be an effective communications tool in Long Beach with its ability to reach a large portion of the City’s population. According to 2000 U.S. Census data, 97 percent of households in Long Beach have telephone service available at home. The potential effectiveness of telephone notification systems has been enhanced as State law now allows cities access to both listed and unlisted phone numbers from local telephone carriers. However, use of the "911" telephone database is limited to emergency situations.

    After reviewing systems of several vendors last spring, the City selected the Reverse 911 product from Sigma Communications, Inc. The Reverse 911 system is designed to allow for easy activation of emergency messages. Examples of situations in which the system might be activated include hazardous material releases, flood warnings, missing persons, criminal activity and terrorism incidents, or other natural disasters such as earthquakes and tsunamis. Reverse 911 has been designed to efficiently use telecommunications capacity depending on the situation. It can be used to broadcast emergency information to a precise geographic area or to the entire community. In the vast majority of the situations requiring system activation, only a portion of the City would need to be contacted. In these events, the City will be able to use the existing internal telephone infrastructure to initiate the calls. Based on the planned configuration, it is estimated that the system would be able to place about 3,000 calls per hour. There would be no incremental costs for placing the calls.

    For a major incident in which the City would need to place a large number of calls in a very short time period, the City would have access to Reverse 911's Mass Call telephone line capacity. As part of the background review, City staff contacted Baldwin County, Alabama who used Mass Call during Hurricane Ivan in September 2004. The County reported that it placed 200,000 calls in six hours, or about 33,000 calls per hour. It is important to note that should the Mass Call capability be activated in response to, or in anticipation of a federally-declared emergency, the cost for the telephone calls may be eligible for reimbursement from the Federal Emergency Management Administration.

    While Reverse 911's system is designed for public notifications, it also has employee notification capabilities. It includes a product called Mobilization Plus that would allow the City to contact a large number of employees immediately through various technologies including cell phones, pagers, and blackberries. The City would use Mobilization Plus in emergency call out situations such as an activation of the emergency operations center. This additional capability of the Reverse 911 product is intended to improve City staff response to emergency events.


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