Cave City, Park City considering Reverse 911

By BRAD DICKERSON
Glasgow Daily Times

GLASGOW May 15, 2008 03:12 pm

— Reverse 911 would be a welcome addition for two Barren County cities, according to their mayors.
This week Cave City City Council approved a resolution giving “full support and recommendation to the Barren-Metcalfe Emergency Communications Center Governing Board to purchase and implement a mass notification system to further enhance the safety of our community.”
“It’s a great tool,” Mayor Bob Hunt said. “The phone would be the best way to notify people of any disaster. The beauty of it, if you don’t want it, they won’t enter your phone number.”
The mayor said with the city’s close proximity to Interstate 65 and the railroad, a system that calls individuals and advises them of a disaster would be more beneficial than the one warning siren presently in place.
“If you go to bed at 10:30 (p.m.) after the news, you don’t know what’s going on,” Hunt said, adding that the number of insulated homes makes it harder to hear the siren.
Reverse 911 was previously discussed in 2006 by the 911 Governing Board. Officials said at the time that the system probably would not be able to help notify people of any weather situations since most take 15 minutes to call everyone.
The threat of bad weather would most likely have passed by the time all individuals were notified.
Beverly Harbison, interim director of 911, previously said the systems could cost between $20,000 and $50,000 just for installation.
Hunt said he has spoken with Park City Mayor David Lyons about the two cities passing a joint resolution to show their support for Reverse 911.
Lyons said a resolution to join Cave City in this endeavor would be brought before commissioners at the June 2 Park City City Commission meeting.
“It is, I think, a serious consideration and this is something that really affects everyone,” Lyons said. “Showing a little unity ... it looks good.”
Like Cave City, Lyons said Park City has one warning siren and some residents may not hear it in the event of an emergency.
“Park City has a high percentage of older folks and people that are indoors a lot,” he said. “Even at my house, I can’t hear the siren if I’m inside.”