Police officers and firefighters throughout Dane County can warn citizens of an emergency by placing outgoing calls with the Reverse 911 Community Notification System.

Lesley Sillaman, executive assistant and press secretary for Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk, said emergency situations qualifying the use of the Reverse 911 system could range from notifying residents of a lost child to public health issues. If there is a need for residents to evacuate an area, such as during a potential release of hazardous materials, the system would be used.

A weather emergency, such as a tornado, is not predictable enough to alert an area with the Reverse 911 system, Sillaman added. The Dane County Department of Emergency Management Warning system uses many methods to warn the public including weather watches and warnings and the use of more than 90 outdoor sirens.

“It will be in addition to the systems that are already in use. It’s not intended to replace,” Sillaman said. “We certainly hope its something we never have to use.”

In the case of an emergency, the officer in charge at the scene of the incident would call the Dane County Public Safety Communications Center at 911. The supervisor in charge would work with the person on the scene to make a decision whether Reverse 911 would be beneficial for the situation.

The Reverse 911 system could contact a few houses or the entire county, Sillaman said.

A major benefit to the system besides the ability to warn residents of an emergency is to give explicit instructions for those who are at-risk. The system can also deliver text messages to those who are deaf or hard of hearing, Sillaman added. The only time the system would be used during a weather emergency is to notify the deaf and hard of hearing that are unable to take notice of the sirens often used to alert the public.

“It’s definitely going to be helpful,” Chad Fleck, shift supervisor at the Dane County 911 center, said. “It’s another tool we can use to get information out to the public if need be.”

Forty calls can be made simultaneously, according to the department’s web site. If the machine delivered a 30-second message to residents, 80 calls could be made in one minute, 800 calls in 10 minutes, and by the end of one hour, 4,800 homes or businesses could be reached.

“[The system] does not included cell phones or unlisted phone numbers,” Sillaman added. “It just basically downloads the phone book.”

Phone numbers can be added to the system at www.countyofdane.com. If registering a cell phone number, the department advises citizens to be aware of the consequences of tying a cell-phone number down to a home address. A cell phone may be notified when the user is completely safe and out of an affected area, but if a user travels into a dangerous area, their cell phone will not be notified.

According to Sillaman, about a dozen cities or counties in Wisconsin have a similar automated telephone system although Dane County is the only one who uses the specific Reverse 911 brand.

Dane County was able to completely fund this system through a $136,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.