By Jacqueline Koch
Chattanooga Times Free Press
Copyright 2008 Chattanooga Publishing Company
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn — Between 10 and 11 a.m. Tuesday, some residents in Hamilton County may get a phone call warning them about a nearby hazardous material leak.
If you receive a call, don’t worry. It’s not real.
The call from Hamilton County’s Rapid Public Notification System is a test of the Reverse 911 system.
Chattanooga fire, police and emergency medical personnel will respond to a simulated leak of a hazardous substance. Residents within a mile and a half of the Fire and Police Training Center on Amnicola Highway will receive messages that contain information on what they should do to protect themselves, said Bruce Garner, spokesman for the Chattanooga Fire Department.
“This is going to be an unusual, but we think a very productive exercise, in that we will actually call businesses and homes in the target area and leave a test message or communicate with people and see how effective we are at getting the word out quickly,” Mr. Garner said.
Those receiving the phone call will be told that it is a test and will have the option to speak with volunteers through the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Health Department.
About 20 volunteers will staff the phone lines during the exercise, answering questions and reassuring residents that it is only a test, said Dawn Ford, emergency response coordinator for the health department. There also will be a Spanish-speaking volunteer, she said.
“The hot line is important because some people in the community will become concerned when they get a call of this nature,” she said.
While the hazardous materials team has test exercises at least once every year, the county never has tested the Reverse 911 system. After the test, the procedure will be reviewed to determine what went well and what improvements can be made, Mr. Garner said.
He said the event also will test the Emergency Alert System to see how effectively messages can be relayed via local TV and radio stations.
This exercise will be monitored by members of the Local Emergency Planning Committee, representatives of Tennessee Homeland Security and the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency, Mr. Garner said.
Ms. Ford said that after the test, the health department will call some residents and ask them to take a survey to gauge how well the exercise worked.