Reverse-911 a Good Tool for Delaware
(December 10, 2007 - The Daily Star)
When Nelson Delameter left his post as Delaware County emergency services director in March, it was mentioned that he had guided the county's response to 18 declared natural disasters in 16 years.
The lesson? That the county is prone to disasters of all varieties _ seasonal, once-a-century, those we see coming and those that strike without warning. It seems there's going to be fairly regular reason to warn residents of a danger and direct them appropriately.
That is why the county's recent adoption of a reverse-911 system is literally a lifesaver. Its funding through the federal Department of Homeland Security signifies that protecting citizens from natural threats is as important as preventing terrorist acts.
The system, as used in many other areas, alerts residents of rising floodwaters, fires or non-natural threats, such as a nearby criminal crisis.
Sending first responders into the field and checking door-to-door is a solid system, managed well many times by officials and volunteers. It will always be needed in some form to fill the gaps that technology cannot. But alone, it is slow, often too slow, compared with the technological ease and safety a reverse-911 system can provide.
Reverse-911 systems are not terribly expensive _ Delaware's is being covered for two years through a $22,000 grant _ and the technology is ever-improving.
Not every message would be blasted throughout the county.
Rather, as 911 Coordinator Stephen Finch said this month, the system can isolate an area, warning affected people while not disturbing or alarming others.
The real-life, close-to-home examples are many. Finch suggested the technology could have helped during the April standoff in Margaretville in which a trooper and suspect were killed.
Among natural disasters, there is the June flooding in Colchester that killed four. The reverse-911 system may not have prevented those deaths, but it could have provided more information to emergency responders and residents than was available for hours and days. In a flash-flood event, a reverse-911 setup couldn't hurt.
Beyond the gripping stories of disasters, officials have suggested more mundane but important uses for the system, such as boil-water advisories.
Most importantly, it's worked elsewhere. Schoharie County implemented a similar system years ago, and that rural, sparsely populated county is a good model for Delaware in this case.
Ideally, this system will never have to be put to the test. But when it inevitably is, we are confident it will be another tool for Delaware County to protect and inform its citizens.
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