Reverse 9-1-1 is a
public safety
Public security or public safety is the prevention of and protection from events that could endanger the safety and security of the public from significant danger, injury, or property damage. It is often conducted by a state government to ensur ...
communications technology used by public safety organizations in Canada and the United States to communicate with groups of people in a defined geographic area. The system uses a database of telephone numbers and associated addresses, which, when tied into
geographic information systems (GIS), can be used to deliver recorded
emergency notifications to a selected set of telephone service subscribers.
Background
Reverse 9-1-1 was developed by Sigma Micro Corporation, later known as
Sigma Communications, in 1993. After a number of corporate acquisitions,
Motorola Solutions
Motorola Solutions, Inc., is an American video equipment, telecommunications equipment, software, systems and services provider that succeeded Motorola, Inc., following the spinoff of the mobile phone division into Motorola Mobility in 2011. Th ...
ultimately gained ownership of the technology and rights developed by Sigma, and Motorola has folded Reverse 9-1-1 into their Vesta suite of public safety systems.
Case studies
The system is used to notify residents in emergency situations, for example:
* During the
2010 Boston water emergency The 2010 Boston water emergency occurred on May 1, 2010, when a water pipe in Weston, Massachusetts, broke and began flooding into the Charles River. This led to unsanitary water conditions in the greater Boston area, which resulted in Governor Dev ...
, government agencies used the system to notify a large number of Boston-area residents in particular neighborhoods to boil water before drinking.
* During the much more contained
2004 bulldozer rampage in
Granby, Colorado
The Town of Granby is the Statutory Town that is the most populous municipality in Grand County, Colorado, United States. The town population was 2,079 at the 2020 United States Census. Granby is situated along U.S. Highway 40 in the Middle ...
, authorities used Reverse 911 to notify the approximately 1,500 residents of the town to evacuate from the bulldozer's path.
* During the
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
The occurred at 14:46 JST (05:46 UTC) on 11 March. The magnitude 9.0–9.1 (M) undersea megathrust earthquake had an epicenter in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Oshika Peninsula of the Tōhoku region, and lasted approximately six mi ...
,
Seaside and
Astoria, Oregon, residents were notified by Reverse 911 and
sirens
Siren or sirens may refer to:
Common meanings
* Siren (alarm), a loud acoustic alarm used to alert people to emergencies
* Siren (mythology), an enchanting but dangerous monster in Greek mythology
Places
* Siren (town), Wisconsin
* Siren, Wisco ...
to evacuate low-lying areas.
* When the
improvised explosive device
An improvised explosive device (IED) is a bomb constructed and deployed in ways other than in conventional military action. It may be constructed of conventional military explosives, such as an artillery shell, attached to a detonating mecha ...
s in the
Aurora, Colorado
Aurora (, ) is a home rule municipality located in Arapahoe, Adams, and Douglas counties, Colorado, United States. The city's population was 386,261 at the 2020 United States Census with 336,035 residing in Arapahoe County, 47,720 residing in ...
, apartment of mass murderer
James Holmes were detonated by police, Reverse 911 was used to notify nearby residents of the evacuation order.
* On December 14, 2012, Reverse 911 was used to notify parents in the Sandy Hook community of Newtown, Connecticut, of the
mass shooting
There is a lack of consensus on how to define a mass shooting. Most terms define a minimum of three or four victims of gun violence (not including the shooter or in an inner city) in a short period of time, although an Australian study from 20 ...
there.
* During the manhunt for suspects involved in the
Boston Marathon bombing
The Boston Marathon bombing was a domestic terrorist attack that took place during the annual Boston Marathon on April 15, 2013. Two terrorists, brothers Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and Tamerlan Tsarnaev, planted two homemade pressure cooker bombs, w ...
, Reverse 911 was used to notify residents of
Watertown, Massachusetts
Watertown is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, and is part of Greater Boston. The population was 35,329 in the 2020 census. Its neighborhoods include Bemis, Coolidge Square, East Watertown, Watertown Square, and the West End.
Waterto ...
, to remain in their homes.
* In October 2014, some Dallas, Texas, residents were notified of the city's second
Ebola infection case by a Reverse 911 call.
See also
References
Emergency communication
Emergency population warning systems
Telecommunications in Canada
Telecommunications in the United States
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