TITLE
Recommendation to authorize City Manager to execute a contract with Sigma Communications, Inc. in the amount of $85,000 for a period of three years for procurement of the Reverse 911 emergency telephone notification system. (Citywide)
DISCUSSION
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 977
product from Sigma Communications, Inc. The Reverse 977 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 977 has been designed to efficiently use telecommunications capacity depending on the situation. It can be used to broadcast emergency informa...
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