Westport Rehearses Reverse 911 System

By Michael C. Juliano Article Launched: 11/30/2007 09:33:43 AM EST

This past weekend, the Westport Fire Department tested the town's new Reverse 911 notification system.

According to the product's Web site, www.reverse911.com, the system is a communications solution that uses a patented combination of database and GIS-mapping technologies to deliver outbound notifications. It further states that users can quickly target a precise geographic area and saturate it with thousands of calls per hour, and that its interactive technology provides immediate interaction with recipients and aids in rapid response to specific needs. Users 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 information as needed.

First Selectman Gordon F. Joseloff said about 1,200 homes received the test calls, which identified the call as coming from the Westport Office of Emergency Management and said it is a test of the town's Reverse 911 system.

"I understand the test went very well, a lot of information was gleaned from it and we're one step closer to implementing it," he said.

Joseloff said the Town of Westport has been working on implementing the Reverse 911 system for about 18 months, pending approval by the state Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security, which gave Westport a $28,000 grant to implement the system.

"The beauty of it is you can segregate and identify groups to call," he said.

Kim Brandt, a spokeswoman for Reverse 911, which is headquartered in Indianapolis, Ind., said the system is being used by about 20 towns in Connecticut and about 500 municipalities nationwide.

"With it, you can target a specific area with a single recorded message," she said. "It can be used to report a missing person, an escaped prisoner, evacuation notices and so on."

Sgt. Jerry Shannon, a police spokesman, said the system would allow emergency services to notify residents of a dangerous situation much faster than going door to door.

"From what I understand, it's a very efficient system whereby all people affected can be contacted in a short period of time," he said.

Christopher Ackley, the chief of Westport Fire Department, said he hopes the system, which cost $38,000, will be fully operational in a week to 10 days. He said the remaining $10,000 needed for the system was covered by the Westport Weston Health District and the Board of Education.

"The system will allow us to pick a specific geographic area," he said.