Emergency Notification - Additional Information

How the Emergency Notification System Works

In the event of an emergency, Pueblo City and County officials can identify the affected area and send a message that describes the situation and recommends the protective actions residents should take. The Emergency Notification System system will automatically call out to all land-line and opt-in telephone numbers within that geographic area and deliver the recorded message once a voice is heard. If your phone line is busy, the system will attempt to redial the number three times to make contact. If an answering machine picks up the call, the emergency message will be left on the machine.

System Features

The Emergency Notification System features are an excellent tool for sharing information and alerting residents in the case of an emergency situation. Features include:

It can provide an initial warning as well as specific instructions to protect at-risk citizens. Both factors are necessary for an effective warning.
The Emergency Notification System can target specific geographic locations, warning only those people who are directly at risk.
Calls can be made at a rate of up to 50,000 numbers per hour, providing emergency information direct from emergency services personnel to citizens in mass numbers.

Some of the many uses of the system include:

System Limitations

As with any system, The Emergency Notification System has its limitations. If linked to a specific address, the location of the cell phone number becomes essentially fixed to that location. This could lead to the situation of a cell phone being notified when the user is mobile and well out of the affected area. Or conversely, the situation where the user is mobile is in the affected area but is not notified because the fixed location of the number is in an unaffected area. Please consider this when registering cell phone information for addition to the database.

Time frame for Validation

In addition, it takes 2 to 3 weeks once a number has been registered for it to be validated and entered into the database. If an incident occurs in your neighborhood with-in that time period it is unlikely you will receive the notification.

Enhancement

Pueblo's response agencies take a multifaceted approach to public information and recognize that no single application can provide a warning to all residents in all situations. The Emergency Notification System is an excellent enhancement to our effort to share emergency information with our citizens, but registration will not guarantee notification of any specific event. You are still encouraged to visit our websites and to stay tuned to local news channels and radio stations during a community crisis.

Call Screening Features

The Emergency Notification System will not work with phone lines that have call screening features. For example, if your phone line requires an individual to identify themselves through a recorded message before the call is accepted, the system will not work. The system is designed to play the recorded message upon voice activation, such as a person saying hello or an answering machine recording.

Private Call Blocking

Moreover, The Emergency Notification System will work even if your phone line blocks private calls. The system automatically identifies itself, allowing the phone call through.