TAZEWELL, Tenn. — Claiborne County 911, through homeland security grant funds, has taken a significant step to further protect and better communicate with the citizens of Claiborne County through the use of emergency notification technology that alerts neighborhoods, businesses and first responders in times of crisis.

The Communicator, developed by Dialogic Communications Corporation (DCC), works in conjunction with the GeoConex GIS Mapping System at Claiborne 911. It was installed in Claiborne 911 on July 20 and personnel are being trained over the next week or so on the use of the new system.

“The Communicator is a vital addition to our public safety program,” said Roger Hager, executive director of Claiborne 911. “Now, we can serve our community even better than before, during and after emergencies by providing critical information in a timely and efficient manner. Emergency responders, hospital, residents, neighborhood watch organizations, businesses, schools, health department, and others will be able to take necessary action to safely prepare for or respond to any public safety threat.”

Claiborne 911’s emergency notification system will alert first responders and residents through various communications media. The system will transmit recorded messages to eight recipients at the same time.

Using an average emergency message of 30 seconds, that’s 16 households or individuals notified per minute or 960 households in an hour.

Hager said during a crisis, he doubted if dispatchers could make 30 phone calls in an hour if they had to do it manually. Using the emergency notification system will permit the dispatcher or agency chief to activate a notification and permit the dispatchers to continue to handle emergency calls and radio traffic.

Recipients can receive time-sensitive information and instructions on how to safely and quickly respond should Claiborne County experience a hazardous materials (HAZMAT) spill, natural disaster, child abduction, school emergency, or homeland security threat.

“Implementing this technology reflects conscientious use of our time and homeland security funds,” said Mayor Joe Tyler Duncan, Claiborne County mayor.

“With this system, we can setup various messages in advance so that when emergencies occur, our staff can activate callouts immediately, saving our resources to handle other aspects of the situation”, said David Breeding, Director, Claiborne County Emergency Management Agency.