Wednesday, February 19, 2003
|
Wednesday, February 19, 2003 |
|
'Don't call 9-1-1' By JOHN MUNFORD
In case of a disaster such as a terrorist attack on Fayette County, residents are urged not to call 911 for information. Instead, it's likely that an information hotline will be established by county officials so the 911 dispatchers don't get swamped with non-emergency calls, said Pete Nelms of the Fayette County Department of Fire and Emergency Services. The information phone number, along with other emergency news would be publicized through the media such as radio and TV stations, including the county's local access television channel for Comcast cable subscribers. Cheryl Rogers, director of Fayette County's 911 communications center, urged people not to call 911 for information purposes in the event of a disaster. Such calls "take away the time and ears of the operator" from important calls, Rogers said. "We may have a medical emergency we need to take care of right away." Rogers said 911 employees have worked hard to keep up with developments in case Fayette is attacked. She suggested the best way for citizens to stay informed is to "stay tuned" on TV and radio coverage. In case an area of the county needs to be evacuated, officials can use the First Call system to telephone hundreds of homes at a time with a pre-recorded message alerting them to the dangerous situation, Nelms said. And the county's fledgling emergency warning system can also be used to verbally warn residents with a prerecorded message, but the speakers are only located in strategic parts of the county typically near mobile home communities.
|
||