Helena 911 center can send automated emergency info to the public

In an emergency, residents are expected to dial 911, but people might not expect the 911 system to call them.

That’s exactly what a new tool at the disposal of city and county officials is designed to do.

The new outbound notification system allows officials to set up automated calls to residents when an incident threatens public safety. It also can be used to issue a call-to-arms to preset lists of people, such as firefighters or doctors, informing them of a public emergency.

Officials can record a message and use the system to call every land-line telephone in the area affected by a wildfire, flood or chemical spill. The messages can warn of an escaped prisoner, notify citizens of a hostage situation in their neighborhood or get the word out when a child is missing.

Intrado http://www.intrado.com

By LARRY KLINE – IR Staff Writer

Full Story: http://helenair.com/articles/2006/09/09/helena_top/a01090906_06.txt