Government Technology
Government Technology: State & Local Government News Articles
Advertise in the
Upcoming Case Study Issue »

AlertSanDiego Earns Golden Watchdog Award



Print
Comment
Brush fire

Jul 1, 2008, News Report

"I don't know how we could have possibly evacuated 515,000 people safely without it. Not one citizen, despite these six very dangerous wildfires, was caught in a fire during the evacuation,"

On May 29, the San Diego County Office of Emergency Services (OES) received the San Diego Taxpayers Association's Golden Watchdog Award for AlertSanDiego, the county's mass notification system provided by Twenty First Century Communications (TFCC) of Columbus, Ohio.

"The County of San Diego has invested heavily in its emergency preparedness systems so that we can protect the public in an emergency and AlertSanDiego has proven to be one of our best investments," said Greg Cox, Chairman of the County Board of Supervisors. "AlertSanDiego received national praise and attention for its role in safely evacuating more than 515,000 people during the 2007 fires and we can say without a doubt that it saved lives."

In addition to calling residents' home phones, AlertSanDiego allows residents to register cell phones, SMS devices, e-mail, fax, and TTY information online to receive alerts during an emergency. The Taxpayers Association praised the county for eliminating overhead expenses of servers, phones and maintenance. Those wishing to register can do so online.

"I don't know how we could have possibly evacuated 515,000 people safely without it. Not one citizen, despite these six very dangerous wildfires, was caught in a fire during the evacuation," stated Ron Lane, San Diego County's Director of the Office of Emergency Services.

Within a month of the fires, Twenty First Century uploaded custom online maps developed by San Diego County's GIS teams showing the fire perimeter. During heavy rains, TFCC alerted 90,000 people vulnerable to flood, mudslides and debris flow.

TFCC congratulates the county for this honor and for its safe and successful evacuations. "We are proud to have been of service to San Diego County in its time of need," said Jim Kennedy, president and founder of Twenty First Century Communications. "This award is much deserved."

Twenty First Century provides its emergency alert system to numerous city, county, public safety and government agencies nationwide. The company's system has also helped recover a missing child, warned utility customers of an attempted fraud, sent heat wave safety tips to senior citizens, and helped reunite families after Hurricane Katrina.

Related Products and Services


Latest Government Technology News


Industry Solutions for Government

Read real world deployments of technology in government from our sponsors.

View All Industry Solutions

Marketplace



This section
brought to you by:


Dispatch Operations and Interoperability Survey Results

Executive Summary July 2008


View The Results Now

Dispatch Operations and Interoperability

Hurricane Preparedness Tips When a hurricane hits, are you prepared to keep in touch?


Case Study - Morris County, New Jersey The Morris County Communications Center upgraded to a new trunked radio system with the benefits of a cellular network, extending coverage beyond county lines


Case Study - Iredell County, North Carolina Spanning over 570 sq miles, it became imperative that the Iredell County Emergency Communications, Operations and Management extend it's communications systems to enhance reliability, security, and coverage.


Case Study - City of Anaheim, California The City of Anaheim saw an opportunity to leverage existing GST and partner with nearby cities to enhance safety operations through data interoperability.


Case Study - Charlottesville, Virginia Fire Department Taking advantage of a range of interoperability solution, the Charlottesville Fire Department has achieved a network that can serve as backup to their existing public safety network.


Sprint ERT Go-Kit with GST Optima Rapid, interoperable communications for emergencies, drills and field exercises.


Optimal Interoperability Until recently it was not possible to cost effectively connect commercial networks to LMR systems. Improvements in communications technology have resulted in greatly enhanced operational capability and have reduced the log-term cost of communications system ownership.


Multi-agency interoperability for Public Safety Establishing cross-agency, real-time situational awareness is critical to effective incident management as well as daily resource management.


Video


DHS Grant Links

DHS Grants and Assistance Programs Link to overview of available grants administered by The Department of Homeland Security (DHS)


Fact Sheet: Fiscal Year 2008 Preparedness Grants Major changes in funding and focus for 2008 DHS grant programs


Remarks on 2008 Homeland Security Grant Guidance DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff and FEMA Administrator David Paulison


$1.8 billion in DHS Homeland Security Grant Program Awards


Funding Public Safety Communications Whether you are a law enforcement agency, looking for funding to support an interoperable communications solution or a school, seeking to improve communications between building administrators, grants may provide the funding you need to implement a robust, scalable communication system.


Yes! I would like more information about Sprint's dispatch operations and interoperability solutions.