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Rapid Alert County-Wide Notification System
Over the last several months, the Barnstable County Sheriff’s Office has been working in collaboration with Bristol, Dukes, Nantucket, Norfolk and Plymouth County Sheriff’s in effort to create a county-wide solution to emergency notification for ninety-six towns included in the Southeast region. This includes Truro. The concept for this project was modeled after a similar system which has been in place for the past four years at the Plymouth County Sheriff’s Office.
With assistance from the Southeast Homeland Security Advisory Council, several emergency notification products were researched. Through many discussions, meetings, and cost-comparisons of products, the Council approved funding for this initiative. Funding for the first year of operation was approved by the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security (EOPSS) to support the purchase of all hardware/software and training. After the first year, the County Sheriff’s have agreed to sustain the systems out of their operating budgets at an annual cost of approximately $50,000 each.
1. What is “Rapid Alert”? Rapid Alert is an automated notification system used to alert citizens in the event of an emergency. The products selected to run this system are The Communicator NXT and GeoCast. The Communicator NXT is a computerized notification system that has the capability of contacting specific groups of people in a relatively short period of time. GeoCast is a computerized notification system that has the capability of notifying all available listed phone numbers within a selected geographic area using mapping software.
2. What types of scenarios will the Truro Police Department use this system for?
General Public Notifications: Missing Persons Road Closures Traffic Accidents Fugitive Alerts HAZMAT Incidents Air Crashes School Emergencies Serious Fires Evacuation Assistance Natural Disasters
Furthermore, there is potential that the system will support internal and county wide agency applications, such as
Training Notifications for Specialized Units Mobilization of Specialized Units Call out to Volunteer Groups/Organizations
It is important to remember that this is a county wide program, and in the event of a regional emergency, the message delivered would be on a multi-jurisdictional basis.
3. How does the system become activated? The Truro Police Department has selected personnel authorized to request activation. Authorized personnel will have the ability to request activation of the notification system on an as needed basis. The Sheriff’s Office is acting as a support system for each town, making available trained, proficient staff on a 24/7 basis to operate the system. The Truro Police Department will be responsible for identifying the need for activation, the geographic location to be notified, and the message to be delivered.
4. Will there be any costs to the Truro Police Department to participate? No. The Sheriff’s Office is making the system available to all public safety agencies in the County. Having the resources centralized for each County at each Sheriff’s Office offers a more cost-effective operation. This allows towns to participate that would not otherwise be able to afford the product and support staff out of their own operating budgets.
In summary. The Rapid Alert System is designed for emergencies only, and not meant to be used for non emergency information, such as water main flushing’s, school weather closures etc.
Lt Lundborn and A/A Williams are the designated points of contact for the system administration for Truro, and further information can be obtained by contacting them. A go live date is set for the next several weeks.
Inclusion forms will be available for those with cell phones or unlisted telephone numbers that wish to be included in notifications. These will be located at the Truro Police Department or download a copy here.
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