Huron Expositor, 2009-05-20, Page 221
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Page 14, The Huron Expositor • May 20, 2009
News
Prism 911 will alert Huron residents to emergencies
u� ILundextipark
Huron County residents will be in-
formed about emergency situations
within a few hours with a new no-
tification system called Prism 911,
Huron ` East councillors were told at
their May 5 meeting.
David Lew, manager of Huron..'
County's emergency medical servic-
es, told council the $85,000 service,
which originated in Quinte West, is a
telephone notification system which
helps police, fire departments and
municipalities to notify the public
during emergencies such as boil wa-
ter advisories, missing persons, nat-
ural disasters, chemical spills, crime
prevention and alerts and dangerous
animal alerts.
"A lot of municipalities were inter-
ested but nobody's moved forward on
this but Huron County. Everybody
sees the value but they were wait-
ing for someone else to step up. This
is the most economical way of ap-
proaching what we perceive to be a -
problem," said Lew.
The PRISM system, which stands
for Protective Response Interactive
Services Management, can create a
polygon around an affected area and
call the residents living within the
polygon.
"It's possible, if there's a lockdown
with the OPP, to call everyone else
on the street and tell them to stay
indoors," said Lew, who added the
Huron OPP have said they could
use the .system three or four times a
week.
404r-'-/
The system also provides informa-
tion about weather patterns within
Huron County so that firefighters,
in the case of a chemical spill, will
know wind direction and
whether it's raining or
snowing in a specific
area. •
"We'd know if it was
snowing in Wingham or
sunny in South Huron,"
said Lew.
In the case of a school
lockdown or a chemical
spill at an industrial
plant, Lew said floor
plans can be inputted
into the system so that
emergency personnel
will have that resource
on hand.
"School lockdowns are
pretty prevalent these
days and we want to be
prepared for that," he said.
Grey Coun. Alvin McLellan wanted
to know if the system would be se-
cure.
"What if someone was able to hack
into it for the floor plans and rob
someone?" he asked.
Lew responded that the county's
IT (information
technology) de-
partment has
firewalls on ev-
erything so it
can't be hacked
staff.
Prism 911 can also be programmed
by hospitals and municipalities to
call all the names on their disaster
plan list, rather than as-
signing one person to
dial everyone individu-
ally.
Asked by Seaforth
Coun. Bob Fisher if the
system could be used
to send firefighters to
fires, Lew said it's not
a dispatch system.
"If the mayor wanted
to have a bake sale, we
won't put that on there
because it's . not an
emergency," he said.
Lew said the sys-
tem can also be pro-
grammed to ask the
people on the call list if
they need assistance if an
emergency requires people to vacate
their homes.
"People with vulnerabilities can be'
identified where they live and when
the call goes out, asked if they need
help. Where it takes firefighters a
day and a half to go door to door now,
this message could notify 960 resi-
into and pass-
words which are
only known by
three people on
iNgreA"ftVPSWonerift4
•••••••••••••
• WED. MAY 20
8-10 a.m. Walk for Wellness
Program, Seaforth arena. Dietitian
1-4. p.m. Seniors Shuffleboard at
Seaforth Arena
4-6 p.m. Knitting & crocheting circle,
Platinum Oak
6:45 p.m. Walk at Hullett Provincial
Wildlife Area. Meet' at Main Office.
Weather permitting
• THURS. MAY 21
8-10 a.m. Walk for Wellness Program,
• FRI. MAY 22
10:00 a.m. Rural Response for
Healthy Children Morning Out
Program, Bethel Bible Church,
Seaforth
10-11:30 a.m. Play and Learn,
Brussels Community Centre
10:30-11:30 a.m. Preschool
Storytime, Seaforth Library
• MON. MAY 25
8-10 a.m. Walk for Wellness, Seaforth
Arena. Nurse Practitioner
• MON. MAY 25
9:30-11:30 a.m. Alphabet Soup, Grey
Central Schoo1l0-11:30 a.m. Getting
Ready for Kindergarten, St. ' Jame
School
1:30 p.m. Senior euchre at Seaforth
Legion
• TUES. MAY 26
8-10 ' a.m. Walk For Wellness
Program, Seaforth Arena. Social
worker
10-11:30 a.m. Baby & Toddler Time
Seaforth Co -Operative Children's
Centre
• WED. MAY 27
8-10 a.m. Walk for Wellness Program,
Seaforth Arena,
1-4 p:m. Seniors Shuffleboard
Seaforth Arena
4-6 p.m. Knitting & crocheting circle,
Platinum Oak
6:45 p.m. Walk at Hullett Provincial
Wildlife Area. Meet at Main Office.
Weather permitting
7:30 p.m. General Cancer Suppo
Group, Seaforth Manor, Seaforth.
Info: 1-800-294-0086.
itydu'r organizing a noWares( of res( tit other.Seaforth:ares resldente, phone
the :. at 8194274240, or mai t/winformation to Community Calendar, The
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dents in 3.1 hours," he said.
Lew said the county is currently
going through telephone listings to
verify that information is correct.
He said every municipality will be
asked to send out forms . to every
citizen asking for correct telephone
numbers, both land lines and cell
phones.
"We would allow citizens to choose
which phone number they wish, ei-
ther their home line or their cell-
phone. Or people could be notified
various times on various lines," said
Jason Dodds, 911 coordinator for
Huron County.
If someone isn't home, the system
will call them five times. If they still
can't be reached, they will be placed
on a list for someone to travel to the
house and leave a notice.
"That way, we only have to knock
on the door of 20 people instead of
2,000 people," said Lew.
Lew said the system, which will
be installed at the Jacob Memorial
Building in Clinton, can be activated
24 hours a day remotely from the
homes of the county staff responsible
for the system.
The Prism 911 system is expected
to be launched sometime in the fall.
Complaint about rubble at former .public
school will go to bylaw enforcement officer
Susan Hundertntark
A complaint about the two large piles of rub-
ble at the former Seaforth Public School site
on Market Street has been turned over to the
bylaw enforcement officer by Huron East coun-
cil.
The issue was discussed during closed ses-
sion at council's May 5 meeting.
"There will be an order to clean it up," said
Clerk -Administrator Jack McLachlan of the
site of the proposed 32 -lot subdivision being
built by Bayfield developer Brian Barnim.
Municipal grants
Huron East council approved $17,043 in mu-
nicipal grants to community groups at its May
5 meeting.
The Seaforth Lions Club received $6,500 to-
wards the Lions Pool and the Seaforth Santa
Claus parade received $2,000.
The municipality agreed to give $1,000 each
to the Brussels Agricultural Society for the fall
fair and to the Seaforth and District All -Girls'
Marching Band.
The Van Egmond Foundation received $700,
both the Brussels Horticultural Society and
the Seaforth Horticultural Society received
$550 and the Maitlandbank Cemetery received
$400.
Receiving $500 each were the Brussels Santa
Claus parade, Ethel minor ball, Huron Perth
doctor recruitment, the Seaforth Agricultural
Society for the fall fair, St. Columban soccer,
the Walton Area Sports Club and the Winthrop
ball park.
Asked by Seaforth Coun. Bob Fisher about
the differing amounts given the Santa Claus
parades in Seaforth and Brussels, Seaforth
Coun. Joe Steflier said Seaforth has a larger
parade with four bands who are paid between
$350 and $500 and Brussels has one band in
its parade which travels a shorter route.
Brussels Coun. David Blaney
added that they get differing amounts
because that's what they asked for.
The Huron Plowmen's Asso-
ciation received $250, Huron County
Farm and Home Safety received $200
and the Seaforth and District All -
Girls' Marching Band received $135
for hall rental.
The Seaforth Legion Branch
received $106 and the Brussels Le-
gion Branch 468 received $52.
moo
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