REVERSE 911^® Alerts More Than 12,000 of Imminent Danger
Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department Employs Emergency Notification Technology in Wildfire Response

Temecula, CA — More than 12,000 residents in Santa Barbara County, California, were alerted—via REVERSE 911^®—of imminent danger as The Gap Fire burned almost 9,500 acres in and around the county from July 1 to July 28, 2008. With the fire blazing toward thousands of homes and businesses, these automated notifications provided both warnings and mandatory evacuation orders, augmenting Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department’s efforts to secure public safety.

REVERSE 911^® is the premier suite of emergency notification solutions from industry leader PlantCML.  REVERSE 911^® applications are designed to send a high volume of voice and text messages to people inside specific geographic areas, as well as first responders, in times of crisis. Santa Barbara County officials used the technology to target alerts by location and proximity to the fire. The response effort safely protected all residents and only four outbuildings were burned in the fire.

“The response effort was very successful thanks in large part to REVERSE 911^®,” said Alex Tipolt, Sergeant Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department. ”In many ways, REVERSE 911^® is a lifeline for our residents—we were able to quickly distribute evacuation instructions to thousands of people in a matter of minutes. People in harm’s way were notified, and our community is safer because of this system.”

After the evacuation, the Sheriff's Department received over 7,000 hits on the REVERSE 911^® link http://www.sbsheriff.org/reverse911.html on its website with residents registering cell phone numbers for future notifications. 

 “We are firmly committed to preparing communities in California and throughout North America for response to any critical situation,” said Lorin Bristow, Vice President of PlantCML. ”Communication is vital in emergencies and especially during wildfires, since their patterns can be erratic and unpredictable. Alerting those in danger, REVERSE 911^® ensures the fast and accurate communication necessary for protecting public safety.”

Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Department also used more traditional methods of community alerts to ensure all residents not only received instructions, but were physically able to get to safety. These methods included door-to-door visits and loud speaker announcements from patrolling vehicles. Used in conjunction with REVERSE 911^®, these efforts proved invaluable for both the department of the people of Santa Barbara county.

About the REVERSE 911^® Suite of Solutions

REVERSE 911^® is the most recognized name in emergency notification for public safety.  Deployed in hundreds of operations throughout North America, REVERSE 911^® applications provide immediate, accurate map- and list-based communications with local communities and first responders.  To learn more, visit www.reverse911.com. 

About PlantCML

PlantCML, an EADS North America company, is the industry’s leading provider of crisis communications and response technologies. For four decades, the company has developed and supported comprehensive solutions for call processing, incident & records management and Computer-Aided Dispatch (CAD). Today, PlantCML is pioneering the next generation of 9-1-1 communications through Voice over IP (Internet Protocol)-enabled applications, P25 radio systems and advanced emergency notification technologies. For more information, visit www.plantcml.com.

For more information please contact:
Lorin Bristow
Vice President of Marketing
PlantCML
Tel : 615-791-3987
Email : lbristow@plantcml.com

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