Alerting residents about raging wildfires like those we’ve seen in the last few months is a basic function of government.
Even our tough mountain folks who’ve learned to do for themselves look to emergency authorities for word on when it is time to evacuate.
Unfortunately, county notification systems are operating off , leaving too many residents without official word.
There is plenty of blame to go around for this situation.
First, many counties have not put enough effort into assembling the best databases they can, matching phone numbers to addresses from a variety of records.
Yes, it has become tougher with cellphones replacing land lines. But it can be done.
A story by Post reporters Eric Gorski and Jennifer Brown explained how the Arapahoe County E911 Authority has instructed a vendor to match phone numbers to mapping data. If there are issues, the company is instructed to check records from the assessor’s office.
That’s good practice. Ensuring telephone numbers are geo-coded is an important issue. County commissioners and taxpayers ought to demand more precision. In this day and age, it’s unrealistic to expect a perfect database, but there’s a lot of room between perfect and what we see now in Colorado.
The Post story detailed how most systems reach about 50 percent of people in an affected area.
became a focus in the aftermath of the Lower North Fork fire, which resulted in the deaths of three people. One of the women who died but did not. The number of households that did not get a warning remains undetermined, but it’s clear the emergency warning system was inadequate.
The reverse 911 system, as it is called, is not nearly the issue in Larimer County with the High Park fire. Though , she received two evacuation calls. Larimer officials have taken a proactive approach to keeping a clean database, but there are still too many homes for which they don’t have an accurate phone number.
This is where personal responsibility comes in. Given privacy issues and the proliferation of cellphones, a sound emergency notification system is dependent upon individuals making an effort to ensure their data is accurate.
Go to your , opt in and provide an accurate phone number and address. If your county isn’t soliciting updated information or doesn’t have a reverse 911 system, you should ask why.
With the threat of a difficult wildfire season ahead of us, both government and individuals should make a greater effort to ensure the safety of those who may find themselves in harms way.
