Chief’s Corner
By Chief Steven J. Wojnar Dudley Police Department Widespread emergency notification has always been a challenge for public safety officials. Advances in technology have assisted us in this effort. Back in 2003, Dudley was the first community in the state to use the AMBER Alert system to locate missing children. Fortunately, that large-scale media notification worked, and the children were returned safely. Several years ago, we began using technology to send area wide phone calls and messages to alert residents in times of emergency. These are commonly called “Reverse 911” messages. I wanted to advise residents of our current system and provide some further information on how it works. The Town of Dudley currently uses a system known as “Smart 911.” Through this technology, we can send hundreds of phone calls and messages to our residents within a very short period. This can be done for situations such as states of emergency, missing children, health emergencies, and other times when important information must be given fast. We have sent many of these in relation to the COVID-19 situation, and several have gone out for the water main projects taking place in town. This has been very effective. We understand, these calls cannot be used in every situation, since the danger is they may become routine. People then may start to ignore them. This could have serious implications, so we are selective of the situations in which they are used. Last week, we had a tornado warning in our area. One in fact touched down in nearby Thompson, CT. I was asked by a resident why our local emergency alert was not sent in addition to the statewide notice? Reason being, those are sent out through The National Weather Service, and they are given priority access to all media and phones for these alerts. Any effort on our part to do the same would most likely be several minutes behind, due to the manual data entry and authorization process. Since everyone is sent multiple messages by them, their system is most effective for that purpose. Published residential and business phone listings are available to us for our system. Cell phones are not included in our regular data base and depending on the timing of the message, you may not receive a notification. Many people with unlisted numbers may also not receive calls. If you are not receiving messages, registration information is available on-line on the Town website www.dudleyma.gov. Click onto the Residents tab and then Disaster Recovery. There, you will have the ability to |
register on-line for this service. If you do not have a computer or are uncomfortable to do this, feel free to contact our police or fire departments and someone should be able to assist you in signing up. In addition, some residents may not wish to be contacted for these emergencies. The system can remove numbers from the notification list as well. Simply follow the same method as registering or once again, contact either the police or fire department. This program enables everyone to be notified quickly about emergencies in town. There is no cost and little work on your part. If you are not receiving these messages, please sign up.
For those still seeking vaccination information, it can be found at www.dudleyma.gov or by calling 508-949-8036. Please continue moving forward with the “re-opening” of our state in a reasonable manner. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated. During these challenging times, we, at the Dudley Police Department, greatly appreciate the support we receive from our community. Thanks again for your questions and comments. Please send them to me at the Dudley Police Department 71 West Main St. Dudley, Ma. 01571 or email at swojnar@dudleypolice.com. Opinions expressed in this weekly column are those of Chief Wojnar only and unless clearly noted, do not reflect the ideas or opinions of any other organization or citizen. |
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