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Reverse 911
Lifesaving Warnings by Phone
Town May
Invest in Emergency System Capable of Warning
Thousands at a Time
“This is to enhance our community’s
preparedness for emergency disasters, natural or
manmade.”
By Evan Berkowitz
A new mass communications service may soon
enable the Bay Harbor Islands town government to phone
residents quickly and efficiently in times of emergency.
At its Jan. 8 meeting, the Town Council
discussed the implementation of Reverse 911, which bills
itself as an interactive community notification system. “The
thrust behind this is to enhance … our community’s
preparedness as far as emergency disasters, natural or
manmade,” said Vice Mayor Kenneth Weinstein, chairman of the
town’s Disaster Preparedness Committee.
According to the company’s Web site,
www.reverse911.com, a patented combination of database and
GIS (geographic information system) mapping technologies is
used to deliver outbound notifications. “Users can quickly
target a precise geographic area and saturate it with
thousands of calls per hour,” and “can also create a list of
individuals with common characteristics (such as a
Neighborhood Crime Watch group or emergency responder teams)
and contact them with helpful information as needed.”
Reverse 911 uses a program referred to as
Line Grabber, which allows existing phone lines to be seized
for outbound calling. Reverse 911company literature says up
to 4,000 calls at a time can be made and up to 100,000 can
be completed in 10 minutes. Reverse 911 can also deliver
messages via cell phones, alpha and digital pagers, e-mail
and fax, according to company materials.
A non-emergency reverse 911 function called
the Bulletin Board or Community Information Line is also
offered. It lists a calendar of community events, road
conditions or road closing information, or information about
cultural activities.
The city of Aventura has used Reserve 911 for
close to a decade. Miami Beach also offers the program to
residents who sign up for it.
Bay Harbor Islands’
Disaster Preparedness Committee discussed and recommended
Reverse 911 at its Nov. 20 meeting. Weinstein said the town,
with a population of approximately 5,100, has recently taken
great strides to improve its disaster responsiveness.
Reverse 911’s representative at the meeting, Ari Widlansky,
pointed out that in addition to hurricanes and other natural
disasters, the system can be used to convey information
about terrorist activity, hazardous material releases, and
evacuation and return notification.
In 2005 local media reported that the
Miami-Dade Police Department’s Sexual Predators Unit and
Hollywood Police Department used the system to inform
residents about sexual predators in their areas.
The price quote given to the council was
$44,900 for installation of the system and training,
excluding annual services and fees. Weinstein said grants
might be available to help pay, and that BHI would try to
coordinate with other nearby municipalities interested in
using the system. The vice m ayor asked for the council’s
endorsement of getting the system so he could start
arranging to have it in effect before the 2007 hurricane
season.
During the citizens comment period, Christian
activist Sandra Snowden, known for her legal battles with
Bay Harbor Islands relating to seasonal religious
decorations, said she was in favor of getting Reverse 911
because she thinks the town might be a target for terrorists
because of its large Jewish population.
Councilman Alberto Ruder said he had seen the
full Reverse 911 presentation at the recent Disaster
Preparedness Committee meeting and was impressed, and that
the system would be “a wonderful thing for our town.” The
council voted unanimously to move forward with plans to
procure the system.
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