TITLE
Recommendation to receive and file a report on the selection of an emergency telephone notification system.
DISCUSSION
Recent natural disasters in the United States and across the globe have demonstrated the need for local governments to prepare and implement effective public warning strategies. At the City Manager’s request, the Technology Services Department has led an interdepartmental team in a
review of telephone notification systems. This technology would increase the City’s capability to provide emergency information by allowing us to place 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 the existing public communication tools.
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. Recently, 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, the use of the “911” telephone database is limited to emergency situations. After reviewing the offerings of several vendors, the team composed of representatives from Police, Fire, and Technology Services Departments, as well as the City Manager’s Office, last week selected the system from Sigma Communications, Inc. (Sigma). The company’s product is marketed under the
name “Reverse 91 1 .” City staff is now in discussions to finalize an agreement with Sigma.
The system is designed to allow for easy activation of emergency messages. It can be used to broadcast emergency information to a precise geographic area or to an entire community.
Examples of situations in which the sy...
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