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Santa Clara County Emergency Notification System
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Santa Clara
County Emergency Notification System
(Reverse 911)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE <<New
Sept. 29, 2009
Contact:
Gwendolyn Mitchell/Laurel Anderson
Office of Public Affairs
(408) 299-5119
County of Santa Clara and Local Cities Launch
AlertSCC,
New Countywide Emergency Notification System
SANTA CLARA COUNTY, CALIF.— Where will you be when a disaster strikes? Whether Santa Clara County residents are at home, at work, their children’s softball game or sitting in traffic on Highway 101, the new regional emergency notification system AlertSCC will enable residents to receive timely and lifesaving information no matter their location. Today, the County of Santa Clara Board of Supervisors, joined by local city officials, announced the launch of AlertSCC, and encouraged residents to go to www.AlertSCC.com to register their cell phones and email addresses.
"This is a monumental day for the 1.8 million residents of Santa Clara County as we launch our first regional emergency notification system," said Supervisor Liz Kniss, President of the County of Santa Clara Board of Supervisors and Chair of the Board's Disaster Council. "This is a call to action. Beginning today, residents should go to the AlertSCC web site to sign up to receive emergency information related to disasters such as earthquakes, floods, or wildfires."
The County of Santa Clara spearheaded the purchase, implementation and roll out of AlertSCC to local jurisdictions including the cities of San José, Morgan Hill, Mountain View, Saratoga, Cupertino, Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, Milpitas, Gilroy, Campbell, Los Altos, and the Town of Los Gatos, Monte Sereno and Los Altos Hills.
“The County has led a unified and collaborative effort to ensure that everyone in Santa Clara County will benefit from AlertSCC,” said Supervisor Ken Yeager, who brought the alert system initiative to the Board of Supervisors in 2007. “The range and flexibility of communication options to be offered will keep our residents safe and well-informed.”
AlertSCC is an automated system with the capacity to send thousands of text and voice messages within minutes to home and business land line phones using 411 and 911 databases. While the system uses land lines from the databases, to reach cell phones, PDA’s, laptops, desktop computers, and devices for the hearing impaired, anyone who lives or works in the county must register their cell phone numbers or email address at www.AlertSCC.com.
The system can be used for a variety of emergency and community service notifications such as fires, crime incidents, hazmat incidents, infectious disease information, contaminated food warnings, road/school closures, and contacting disaster service workers.
“An emergency alert system may make all the difference in whether or not residents survive a disaster,” said Supervisor Dave Cortese, Vice Chair of the Board’s Disaster Council. “In a natural disasters or hazmat incidents, time is of the essence, and this tool will allow us to give our residents urgent warnings.”
While no one knows exactly when or where a disaster such as an earthquake or flood will strike, it’s more than likely to cross city boundaries and encompass several cities in a wide geographic area. For example, if residents need to be notified of an evacuation, the public notification system enables the county or local city to contact its residents in a targeted or countywide geographic area through multiple means of communication. The system provides the ability to notify residents anytime or prescheduled in targeted or regional areas and can be activated by web, phone or satellite phone. Once a notification is sent, the system tracks results and reports on message delivery including which messages had a live delivery, answering machine, bad phone number, busy signal, hang up, fax/modem or undeliverable. The system has the means to resend the undelivered messages.
“Alerting residents of a disaster and informing them of appropriate actions is an important, and constantly evolving, government task,” said San José Mayor Chuck Reed. “I encourage all residents to register. Stay informed. Stay alive.”
“AlertSCC is the fastest and easiest way to become better prepared in the event of an emergency, from natural disasters, to a terrorist attacks, to violent crimes,” said Jeffrey V. Smith, County Executive. “Registering for AlertSCC may be as crucial to surviving a disaster as making a family emergency plan and assembling a home disaster supplies kit, and it only takes a few minutes.”
The City of Morgan Hill was the first city to send a public safety message using the regional AlertSCC system. In late March, there were several attacks on women in Morgan Hill. The city and County issued a public safety alert to residents of Morgan Hill and the unincorporated areas of South Santa Clara County through the notification system, alerting residents to the incidents and advising them to take extra precautions in shopping center parking lots.
“AlertSCC proved to be an essential communications tool that enabled us to notify residents about a local public safety issue, quickly and effectively,” said Ed Tewes, Morgan Hill City Manager.
Through the AlertSCC web site, all residents in Santa Clara County can sign up to receive the alerts. To register, go to the web site, select the city you live and/or work in, and provide cell phone and email address information to receive alerts.
"The City of Mountain View is delighted to be a partner in this regional effort," said Mayor Margaret Abe-Koga, City of Mountain View. "It is critical that we strengthen our efforts to improve public preparedness and response and to do so in a collaborative manner."
AlertSCC will be used to supplement the region’s existing emergency communication methods, augmenting public safety and first responder services. It will not take the place of the 911 and other communication and notification systems (such as radio systems) that first responders currently use.
For more information or to register to receive AlertSCC messages, go to www.AlertSCC.com.
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Excerpts from Supervisors' Newsletters and other sources
Please send comments and questions to the Santa Clara County
Supervisors and/or Allan Thompson at
AllanT@SCCFireSafe.org or call (408) 272-7008.
Table of Contents
Supervisor Pete McHugh's 8/5/08 article, County Residents and the Community Need to be Prepared
Supervisor Ken Yeager's 12/3/07 newsletter, Could a San Diego Fire Happen Here?
Supervisor Ken Yeager's 11/13/07 newsletter, County Examines Implementing Reverse-911 System
Excerpts from Supervisors' Newsletters and other sources:
From Supervisor Ken Yeager's 10/10/08 newsletter, County Chooses
Contractor for Public Notification System
In November, I recommended that the County look into creating a public
notification or reverse-911 system that would alert residents in the
case of an emergency. My colleagues on the Board of Supervisors agreed
to the proposal.
I am pleased to announce that at the September 23 Board meeting, we
hired a contractor who will now work to get the system up and running.
It is expected to come online in phases starting this month.
Disaster can strike any time. Effective communication to the people
affected can help save lives and property. During last year's wildfires
in Southern California, San Diego County had a public notification
system in place. It was critical in the successful evacuation of people,
potentially saving many lives during that disaster.
If natural disaster or terrorist attack occurs in the County, a public
notification system will send an automated message to land lines, cell
phones, email addresses, and other communications devices giving
residents information and instructions about the emergency. Land lines
are included in the initial roll-out of the system; cell phones, email
addresses and other way to reach residents must be added to the system
by the resident as an "opt-in" only feature.
This system will be especially important if there is a need for
evacuations. While not replacing the communications tools already in
place for First Responders, this system will also allow for streamlined
communication to county employees who become disaster service workers in
the event of an emergency.
This system will provide a consistent form of communication across the
region but would also provide flexibility to pinpoint information for
specific areas. The County would use numbers from the 911 databases only
in emergency situations.
Those residents who provide contact information through optional means
could also receive other updates. For instance, the system could also be
used to make health alerts regarding occurrences of food contamination,
crime alerts regarding kidnappings, alerts regarding public utility
emergencies such as power outages or water main breaks, and general
information such as road closures.
No one wants to think about a disaster happening, but we must be
prepared. A public notification system could be an invaluable asset in
protecting lives. I am excited that this system will soon be available.
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From Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors
Meeting Summary, 9/23/08, Item 31,
Recommendations relating to the County Regional Public and Internal
Notification System
31. Considered recommendations relating to the County Regional Public and Internal Notification System, and took the following actions:
-
Approved Agreement with Blackboard Connect Inc. (BCI) relating to providing a County Regional Public and Internal Notification System, in an amount not to exceed $4,380,000 for period September 23, 2008 through September 30, 2011, with an option to extend the Agreement for two additional years.
-
Approved delegation of authority to the Chief Information Officer, Information Services Department, or designee, to amend the Agreement with BCI to make administrative and business process changes, following approval by County Counsel as to form and legality, and approval by the Office of the County Executive. Delegation of authority shall expire on September 30, 2013.
-
Approved allocation of an amount not to exceed $30,000 for period September 23, 2008 through September 30, 2011, with an option to extend the Agreement for two additional years for the Director, County Communications, Office of the County Executive, and the Director, Procurement Department, or designees, to establish Agreements with AT&T and Verizon to acquire electronic 911 databases relating to emergency data to be used in the County's emergency notification system.
-
Approved delegation of authority to the Director, Office of Emergency Services, or designee, to negotiate, execute, and amend Agreements with various cities, public safety special districts, and other entities that may be involved in regional or localized notification processes within the region of Santa Clara County, relating to accessing the County's emergency notification system for sending emergency and community notification messages for period September 23, 2008 through September 30, 2013, following approval by County Counsel as to form and legality, and approval by the Office of the County Executive. Delegation of authority shall expire on September 30, 2013.
-
Approved allocation of an amount not to exceed $325,000 for period September 23, 2008 through September 30, 2011 to be used for the Public and Employee Awareness Campaign for the notification service.
-
Approved allocation of an amount not to exceed $260,000 for period September 23, 2008 through September 30, 2011, with an option to extend the Agreement for two additional years for the Chief Information Officer, Information Services Department, or designee, to establish an Agreement with a service provider to implement a Notification Program Communication and Collaboration web site service.
-
Approved allocation of an amount not to exceed $150,000 for period September 23, 2008 through March 31, 2010 for additional resources required for technical and business training and support of the notification system rollout.
-
Approved Request for Appropriation Modification No. 46 - $1,830,000 transferring funds from the General Fund Reserve account to the Information Services Department, Office of Emergency Services, and County Communications budgets.
For additional information on Item 31, see the agenda for this meeting including:
Transmittal CE06 092308 - Summary of the Public and Internal
Notification System and Phase 1 (which includes County Fire, Morgan Hill
and Mountain View)
Attachment A BCI Contract 092308 (Agreements and Amendments)
Attachment B - Connect-CTY Overview (Miscellaneous)
Appropriation Modification Form (F-85) # 046 (Appropriation Modification
(F-85))
Supp. Info 1 - Page 22 of Agreement with Blackboard Connect, Inc.
(Agreements and Amendments)
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From Supervisor Pete McHugh's 8/5/08 article, County Residents and the Community Need to be Prepared
Currently, we are proceeding to implement a mass communication system which notifies residents when an emergency, incident or hazard occurs in their area. This alert system will have the capability of calling mobile and landline phones, sending text and e‐mail messages, and using other forms of broadcast communications.
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From Supervisor Ken Yeager's 12/13/07 newsletter, County Beefing Up Fire Protection in Wake of So. Cal Fires
During the Dec. 4 Board of Supervisors meeting, my fellow supervisors
supported my request for County staff to draft an ordinance that would
allow County fire officials to make sure residents keep "defensible
spaces" around their homes to slow fires from sweeping through the open
areas of the County.
I was astounded to discover last month that many state fire regulations
are considered voluntary in unincorporated areas of the County because
our fire officials do not have the resources to enforce them.
According to state laws regarding defensible spaces, homes in areas that
have an elevated risk of fires must have 30 feet of landscaped area
around them to slow the spread of a firestorm. In addition, homes in
very high-risk fire areas must have an addition 70 feet of space clear
of dead trees, dry, flammable brush, and low-hang branches. A County
fire official estimated that less than half of home owners in these
areas are complying with the law.
In addition, the County's evacuation plans are in need of updates to
reflect growing populations, and County government should have a system
such as reverse-911 in place to contact residents in the event of an
emergency.
I expect County staff to return next year with recommended language on
the ordinance, which could include a suggestion that residents vote on
benefit tax assessment district. With this district, only residents who
use the County's inspection and fire protection services would be
charged for the work.
These preparations need to be done before we are faced with a fire on
the scale of the recent one in southern California so that we are ready
when it hits.
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From Supervisor Ken Yeager's 12/3/07 newsletter, Could a San Diego Fire Happen Here?
While watching news footage of the recent San Diego fires, I remembered
the 1985 Lexington fire in Santa Clara Valley and the 1991 Oakland Hills
fire. I wondered if a disaster of equal magnitude could happen here. Did
we learn the right lessons from those fires? Are we better prepared than
San Diego? Are we doing enough to avoid such loss of life and property?
After talking to a number of county fire and administrative officials, I
have concluded that much has been done to provide better fire coverage,
but the County still can do more to protect homes during a firestorm, as
well as help contain the spread of the fire. In fact, I was alarmed that
many of our regulations dealing with clearing brush and creating
defensible space are voluntary; as such, we are not as prepared as we
should be.
First, a brief recap of San Diego's situation: Strong, powerful Santa
Ana winds, lasting for almost a week. Thousands of acres of dry, brittle
terrain composed of highly flammable vegetation where multiple fires
could occur simultaneously, straining local resources. Numerous fire
departments, some staffed with volunteers. New subdivisions built on
large parcels around open land, away from incorporated cities.
Santa Clara County's situation is different. Not only do we have less
powerful winds, but our winds don't last as long. We get more rain than
Southern California, so we are not as dry. Our topography is more
varied, with grasses on our hillsides and forests in the Santa Cruz
mountains. Generally speaking, we don't have miles of brushland dotted
with development that many southern California counties have.
Many positive changes have occurred locally and statewide since the
Lexington, Oakland Hills, and 2003 Southern California fires. One is
mutual aid. In the past, communication and coordination between fire
jurisdictions was limited. Valuable time was lost, allowing the fire to
grow in intensity, making it harder to contain. Today, the State of
California is widely considered a leader when it comes to disaster
management.
Our residents are fortunate that the populated areas of the county have
very good fire coverage. Most cities have their own fire departments,
and those that don’t contract with County Fire. The Santa Clara County
Fire Department also provides service to a variety of areas outside of
the cities.
Early response is critical when it comes to wildfires. In conversations
with County Fire Chief Ken Waldvogel, I learned that the Santa Clara
County Fire Department augments its on-duty staffing with additional
personnel whenever conditions are ripe for a major fire outbreak.
The department has various staffing modes that correspond to a
combination of factors indicating an increase in potential fire danger
or fire spread. These factors include temperature, humidity, wind speed,
wind direction, and whether Cal Fire is attending other fires throughout
the state. Additionally, Cal Fire makes similar adjustments to increase
its response capabilities on those days when fire risk is considered
high.
Much coordination occurs with Cal Fire, the state's fire protection
agency that serves rural areas. Cal Fire is the first responder to fires
in the wildlands of Santa Clara County, including parts of the Santa
Cruz Mountains, West Valley, East Hills, and South County. For example,
they have stations by Lexington Reservoir, Stevens Creek Reservoir,
Hecker Pass, and outside of Morgan Hill.
In San Diego, there is no central fire department; instead there are
dozens of small fire departments and fire protection districts that
provide fire service, some of which use professional volunteers. San
Diego County is currently exploring whether to consolidate all these
efforts. A ballot measure to establish a county fire department was
defeated after the 2003 fires there. Officials are now thinking of
trying another measure.
Santa Clara County is doing a good job with these issues, but there are
still some gaps in the County's plans for fire prevention and control.
The County must address mandating defensible space areas, upgrading
building requirements, improving evacuation plans, and implementing an
early warning system.
New state regulations passed since the 2003 Southern California fires
require defensible space of 100 feet around every home in "very high"
fire hazard zones. For zones categorized as "moderate" or "high," the
local regulation remains a minimum of 30 feet, because these areas are
less prone to fire disasters.
Homeowners in the "very high" zones should have irrigated, landscaped
areas 30 feet from a structure. Wild-growing vegetation is not
permitted. In addition, from 31 to 100 feet from the structure, owners
should clear any vegetation that could fuel a fire, such as dead trees,
low-hanging branches, and dry brush.
The regulation makes sense, but enforcement throughout Santa Clara
County is spotty. In the cities with high fire danger that are protected
by County Fire (Los Gatos, Saratoga, Los Altos, Monte Sereno, Los Altos
Hills, Morgan Hill, and Cupertino), County Fire informs the property
owners of the regulations and conducts inspections. The contract that
these cities have with County Fire includes these services. Enforcement
is done by the cities.
The problem is with those areas not covered by cities. Because there are
hundreds of thousands of acres of unincorporated land, the county simply
does not have the money or resources to enforce the regulation. One fire
official said he believes more properties in "very hig"” fire hazard
zones do not comply with the 30-foot requirement than do. When I asked
what it would take to get people to create defensible space, I was told,
"Probably another fire like the Lexington fire, since people tend to be
the most interested in taking actions to implement fire safety measures
immediately after a significant fire occurs near their homes."
To cover the cost of inspection, vegetation management, and other
activities to reduce the threat of wildfires, residents of the affected
areas could approve an assessment district paid through their property
taxes. Homeowners in Oakland voted for such a measure in 2003.
Another new requirement imposed after the Oakland Hills fire was Class A
or fire-resistant roofs in local hazardous areas. After the 2003
Southern California fires, those areas were expanded. On Dec. 4, the
Board of Supervisors will vote on a resolution stating that newly
constructed buildings in "moderate," "high," and "very high" areas are
required to have, in addition to Class A roofs, fire-resistant siding
and decks, double-pane windows, and solid doors.
These requirements do not apply to existing structures. I was surprised
to learn from a county fire official that not all homeowners in high
fire areas like the Lexington Basin have replaced their old roofs with a
Class A roofs. While it is doubtful that the County could require
replacement, more education needs to take place to convince property
owners of the value of fire-resistant roofs.
As we learned in San Diego, large-scale evacuations are always hard,
especially in hilly or remote areas. This is because there are few ways
to get in or out, and fire personnel often arrive by these routes.
Evacuation routes should be planned ahead of time to lessen confusion
and to speed up departures. We will review the County's evacuation plans
to make sure they current and adequate for the expanding areas of the
County, and we will update them accordingly.
The use of a Reverse 911 system in San Diego proved invaluable in
alerting residents to evacuate immediately, although there have been
complaints that not everyone was notified. Santa Clara County is
currently evaluating all the emergency response systems that are
available, and a report will soon come to the Board of Supervisors with
recommendations. Recently, the Town of Los Altos Hills and the Los Altos
Hills County Fire District installed a new emergency notification system
that can be initiated from anywhere via the internet.
Santa Clara County residents can feel assured that many proactive
policies have been instituted that make us better able to prevent fires
and contain them once they occur. But more needs to be done. Let's hope
we are willing to take those actions before a large fire catches us
unprepared.
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From Supervisor Ken Yeager's 11/13/07 newsletter, County Examines Implementing Reverse-911 System
The Board of Supervisors approved my recommendation Nov. 6 to direct
county staff to investigate installing a reverse-911 system that would
alert residents in the case of an emergency. I felt the county should
consider a system that allows us to quickly contact residents in the
event of an emergency, especially after the days-long wildfire
evacuations in Southern California and the 5.6-magnitude earthquake that
struck northeast of San Jose.
After devastating wildfires consumed numerous houses and thousands of
acres in San Diego County in 2003, that county implemented such a
reverse-911 system. The county needed a way to quickly notify thousands
of residents of fire danger, so the local government set up a system
that calls residents to give them evacuation warnings and
disaster-response information. The system proved it could help save
lives during the recent fires that ravaged Southern California.
A system like this would be immensely useful in Santa Clara County. An
important aspect of a reverse-911 system is that it allows the
government to contact residents in multiple ways. With a variety of
disasters that could strike the Bay Area, officials can't be sure which
communications systems will be disabled. This is why having a redundant
system is so important.
Although earthquakes provide the government with no warning of when they
will strike, residents could be warned of an earthquake's after effects
or any other disaster that the Bay Area might face. After an earthquake,
fires could erupt in neighborhoods. Gas leaks could spring from damaged
pipelines. Freeways could collapse. With a reverse-911 system, county
officials could make phone calls to landlines or cell phones and send
e-mails and text messages to warn residents of these dangers and provide
them with safe alternatives.
This technology could also be used to notify residents in the rural areas
of the county about fires, such as the fire in early September that
burned more than 47,000 acres in Henry Coe State Park. A reverse-911
system could also be used in the event of a terrorist attack on the Bay
Area or if a major traffic artery breaks down as happened about six
months ago near Oakland when a semitrailer crashed on the Macarthur Maze
and shut down the freeway interchange.
The City of Palo Alto has already implemented a useful system to notify
residents of emergencies. The city recently used this system to alert
residents when a teenage girl was abducted on her way home from school.
A system that can notify residents across the entire county instantly
would aid law enforcement officials in these situations as well as
during disasters.
Although Santa Clara County is still in the preliminary steps of
researching and choosing a reverse-911 system, I expect our staff to
return with some suggestions at a future board meeting. The Board of
Supervisors can then consider how best to alert our residents to save
the most lives in the event of an emergency.
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Updated 9/29/09
Funding provided by National Fire Plan grants from the USDI Bureau of Land Management, the USDA Forest Service and the US Fish and Wildlife Service through the California Fire Safe Council. Our Community Outreach, Education and Youth programs and other council activities are also funded by grants and donations from local agencies, companies, foundations, organizations and individual donors. Please see our Thank You! and About Us pages for a list of donors and contributors.
The views and conclusions on this Web site are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as representing the opinions or policies of the California Fire Safe Council, the Santa Clara County FireSafe Council or the U.S. Government. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute an endorsement by the California Fire Safe Council, the Santa Clara County FireSafe Council or the U.S. Government.