Pike County begins using new mass emergency notification system

Pike County Emergency Management began using a new mass notification system for emergencies throughout the county. The goal is to reduce information relay times and make the county safer as a whole.

“I never thought that when I got in this job that seconds or minutes count,” said Pikeville PD PIO Tony Conn. “It absolutely does. I mean, seconds count, let alone a five, 15, 20-minute delay.”

Along with being able to send out mass notifications to the entire county, the system can also send out information to small areas within the county.

“If we had a hazardous material spill somewhere along 119 if we needed to tell people to shelter in place,” said Pike County Emergency Management Director Doug Tackett. “We could isolate that on a map with a polygon and say ‘notify this area’ and it will make calls to that area only.”

This ability to let folks know what is happening in their own area is crucial to the people who live in Pike County and could potentially save lives. It is also important to dispatch centers that serve the area.

“We get a lot of calls to our system here in the city,” said Conn. “When it storms or when something goes on, asking the road conditions, asking what’s going on, and sometimes they dial 911 and it’s not an emergency situation.”

Along with sending out notifications, Rave 911 can also house medical information if you choose to enter it upon signing up. This is could prove crucial in an emergency as EMS workers would know what to expect as well as your medical history upon arriving at the scene.

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