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TO: Charles Balczun DATE: May 23, 1988 FILE: <br />County Administrator <br />SUBJECT: Agenda Item - Approval to <br />Purchase an Automatic Call - <br />FROM: Doug Wright, Director <br />Down System (Phonemaster) <br />Emergency Management Services <br />It is requested that the information herein presented be given <br />formal consideration by the Board of County Commissioners at the <br />next regular meeting. <br />DESCRIPTION AND CONDITIONS <br />The Indian River County Department of Emergency Management Services <br />is seeking the approval to purchase the Phonemaster Automatic Call - <br />Down System which will enable the Director to single-handedly alert <br />his staff of current conditions and to advise key elected officials <br />and department heads of the possible threat of a hurricane or other <br />disaster. <br />During the period of time when Hurricane Floyd threatened the east <br />coast of Florida in 1987, a total of four staff were on the phones <br />for a period in excess of two hours notifying the appropriate key <br />officials of the threat and planned actions. Many other functions <br />and actions had to be delayed while the notification process was <br />accomplished. When the threat subsided, the process of staff cons- <br />tantly on the phones notifying the same officials. <br />A personal computer based system has been developed to accomplish <br />these tasks automatically for a price of $3,645. <br />ALTERNATIVES AND ANALYSIS <br />The personal computer based system will allow the Emergency Manager <br />-- to automat-tcally deliver a---message;—sn—his--voice;--t-o—emergency <br />responders, volunteers, shelters, hospitals, media, key government <br />officials, the special needs population, and others in need of <br />immediate information for response actions. All features of the <br />recommended system may be accessed and directed by remote control <br />through use of a touch tone phone. The system also has a voice <br />message center for access by staff and others loaded into the system <br />with access codes. <br />During times of emergencies such as a hurricane, emergency manage- <br />ment staff has many varied duties to perform. If this equipment <br />is approved for purchase, it will perform multiple functions,'per- <br />mitting staff to deal with other duties related to protection of <br />the populace. The system provides for 80 to 90 calls per hour <br />which is significant. Other phone lines will not then be tied <br />up by multiple staff making outgoing calls and the general public <br />will be able to access the Emergency Operations Center for infor- <br />mation on the open lines. <br />The system is now in place and operational in Sarasota, Orange, <br />Citrus, and Pinellas counties in Florida. The system has proved <br />very beneficial and documentation is available to verify the opera-- <br />tional abilities of the equipment. <br />RECOMMENDATION <br />Staff recommends approval of the purchase of the Automatic Call.: <br />Down System for the Department of Emergency Management Services. <br />Funds are currently available in capital outlay accounts to purchase <br />the equipment since purchase of headend equipment for the public <br />notification system will not have to be purchased as this has been <br />accomplished by the local Cablevision company. The system will <br />cost $3,496 plus $150 for an optional three year warranty. The <br />price of the system is minimal in terms of benefit as we constantly <br />seek means to protect the populace to the maximum degree with the <br />minimum of costs. <br />MAY2 <br />11988 RccK 72 42.15 <br />