Reverse 9-1-1 Test Yields Problems

Teton County Emergency Management ran a test of a system under consideration for putting out “reverse 9-1-1” calls yesterday, and encountered problems with the system.  The purpose of such a system is to notify members of the public of a potential risk like an evacuation notification due to a flash flood or wildfire.  However, Emergency Management Coordinator Rich Ochs says while the calls went out, the message was not totally audible for all recipients.  Ochs says the message was garbled or clipped, and in some cases the audio level was very low.  He says while most people received their e-mails and text messages with no problems, the problems seemed to center with the audio quality.  Ochs says if there was good news out of the test, it is that it apparently reached those intended.  He also says there were some who also received the audio message with no problem. Ochs says the system is one that is available from the company that has provided the Nixle text messaging system and company technicians are working to iron out the audio problems.