Township Should Have Reverse 911 System In Place By September
New program will provide extra layer of notification during emergencies, mayor says
Berkeley Township residents will soon have a reverse 911 phone program in place to inform them of emergencies, Mayor Carmen F. Amato Jr. said.
"It's a highly sophisticated robo-call system," Amato said recently.
The new system will input as many numbers - home and cell phones - obtained from plan providers so calls can be automatically made to areas in the township when problems arise, like weather or traffic emergencies, he said.
"We'll be able to send out reverse robo-calls to certain areas," he said. "There will be an opt-out for residents who want to forego the calls. If it's a catastrophe, we will call everybody."
The new system also has the capability to send text messages to cell phones, Amato said.
"It's an additional avenue of a notification system for the community," he said.
The program should be up and running by Sept. 1, the mayor said.
kid money
11:03 pm on Saturday, August 4, 2012
I'm on the DO NOT CALL list - I don't want solicitation from this town!
Betsy Huhn
8:29 am on Sunday, August 5, 2012
I am alos on the DO NOT CALL LIST...but get the calls anyway!! Berkeley, Please add me to your list!!!!!! This is another good thing for Berkeley township !!!!!
Lakeland63
8:45 am on Sunday, August 5, 2012
I too am on the DO NOT CALL list and do not welcome unwanted solicitation. However, with caller ID and an answering machine I can avoid unwanted calls. I have experienced Reverse-911 in both the towns of Fair Lawn and Bloomingdale in northern NJ. The system provides timely and important notification from the police, emergency management involving natural and manmade emergencies. I welcome the system into my home, and will register my unlisted cell phones. I believe the residents of Berkeley Township in time will find this a true positive. Thank you for all those involved in bringing this to the community.
Sherry Kriss-Dillane
11:27 am on Sunday, August 5, 2012
With our son having Type 1 Diabetes....Please put all phone numbers in of ours..So we have time to PREPARE...for emergencies..it's life or death for our son, God forbid we don't have everything for day to day..Thank you for this..I think it's GREAT!! Great job Mr. Mayor!!!
Mike Daly
2:13 pm on Sunday, August 5, 2012
This is a good thing, I work in the Washington DC area and signed up for their system as well. Helps immensely when I am in the DC area maintain awareness of things that might effect me.
If you don't want to be called or texted you can opt out (which frankly I don't understand why). For some of my esteemed and valued neighbors, you might want to better understand the difference between what a solicitation and a notification is. This is clearly the latter, not the former.
Mike Daly
2:22 pm on Sunday, August 5, 2012
Here's an example I received an hour ago from DC:
AlertDC alert33396@alert.ema.dc.gov
12:28 PM (1 hour ago)
DHS reports the hyperthermia alert is activated. The temperature is 90 degrees and the heat index is 96 degrees.
Sent by DC HSEMA to e-mail, pagers, cell phones....powered by Cooper Notification RSAN
These are alerts about traffic accidents, road closures, power outages, severe weather condition, alerts (Amber, silver, etc), basically anything that potentially could threaten the public at large or of general public concern and gives you a chance to prepare if appropriate. I would venture this Berkeley system is going to be similar
In an immediate emergency it gives the town an additional means beyond radio and TV to communicate with residents.
This is a very good thing, especially most of us live within 15 miles of a nuke plant.
Brian Wilson
8:26 am on Monday, August 6, 2012
Another great example of Mayor Carmen Amato getting things done.
Fawkes
9:40 pm on Friday, August 10, 2012
The program to develop this was started under Varano, as have been most of Amato's "accomplishments." The only thing Amato has done has been to cut road repair projects which Berkleley is desparately in need of. This town is going straight to hell under Amato's so-called leadership.
foggyworld
12:02 am on Tuesday, August 7, 2012
I'm sure it's bad form to ask, but what did it cost the taxpayers to put this system in and then what will it cost annually to use and maintain it?
Mike Daly
5:42 pm on Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Not bad form foggyworld.
I do not know first hand what this cost is for this particular system. i do know there are many different systems out there and many different ways to implement. Some are done "as a service" by a service provider and just involves a town supplying lists of numbers. Other ways to implement can actually involve buying hardware, hiring folks, etc.. No way to speculate here how this is being done.
Its never bad form as a taxpayer IMHO to ask to understand how our taxes are being spent. Good question.
PeopleAnnoyMe
3:25 pm on Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Obv KID MONEY is just that A KID!! When the rest of us know what's going on he will be the only idiot left in his house saying "hey why are so many people leaving, or buying water etc.. Grow up "Kid Money"