The first test in several years of Fremont County's Emergency Preparedness Network (EPN) has been deemed a success based upon statistical data returned from the test that ran Wednesday evening, April 16th. The pre-planned test event for EPN, often referred to as 'reverse 9-1-1' targeted two neighborhoods which could see the effects of high water runoff along the Arkansas River this spring.
Canon City Police Captain Allen Cooper said it took less than ten seconds for a computer in Longmont, Colorado, to place 317 telephone calls with a test message which was recorded by Fremont County Commissioner Ed Norden. Of the 317 phone calls, 246 emergency test messages were actually delivered for a success rate of 78 percent. The calls went to Canon City residents from Riverside Drive east to 4th Street and in the area of Brewster Lane and McCumber Lane between Canon City and Florence.
Of the 317 phone calls made, 136 were "full person delivery" calls in which a person picked up, answered, and listened to the entire message. 40 persons listened to part of the message, 50 answering machines recorded the whole message, and 20 recorded a partial message. 13 calls went to a modem or fax machine, 12 phone lines were busy, and there were 34 "no answer" calls.
Cooper said authorities knew that they would never achieve a 100% success rate. Prior to the test, several persons contacted Captain Cooper and reported that they had rental houses with working phones but no tenants and no answering machine. These calls would appear as "no answer calls". The test parameters were set with a maximum number of two call back attempts. 509 total call attempts were made.
It cost $76 to stage the EPN test. Fremont County's E 9-1-1 Authority spends $8,700 annually to have the EPN service ready and available if the reverse calls need to be made for possible evacuations or other emergency notices.
Canon City Police Captain Allen Cooper said it took less than ten seconds for a computer in Longmont, Colorado, to place 317 telephone calls with a test message which was recorded by Fremont County Commissioner Ed Norden. Of the 317 phone calls, 246 emergency test messages were actually delivered for a success rate of 78 percent. The calls went to Canon City residents from Riverside Drive east to 4th Street and in the area of Brewster Lane and McCumber Lane between Canon City and Florence.
Of the 317 phone calls made, 136 were "full person delivery" calls in which a person picked up, answered, and listened to the entire message. 40 persons listened to part of the message, 50 answering machines recorded the whole message, and 20 recorded a partial message. 13 calls went to a modem or fax machine, 12 phone lines were busy, and there were 34 "no answer" calls.
Cooper said authorities knew that they would never achieve a 100% success rate. Prior to the test, several persons contacted Captain Cooper and reported that they had rental houses with working phones but no tenants and no answering machine. These calls would appear as "no answer calls". The test parameters were set with a maximum number of two call back attempts. 509 total call attempts were made.
It cost $76 to stage the EPN test. Fremont County's E 9-1-1 Authority spends $8,700 annually to have the EPN service ready and available if the reverse calls need to be made for possible evacuations or other emergency notices.