Coordinators of the newly developed Pilot Project presented its text messaging emergency broadcast system to the Georgetown community, which would be used in community emergencies.
The Pilot Project, the first of its kind in Georgetown, is designed to quickly provide the community with information in the event of an emergency. The network is capable of sending tens of thousands of emergency notifications to area residents in fewer than two minutes.
The technology sends these notifications to cell phones as text messages, as well as to e-mail addresses and pagers. Currently most alert systems only notify through radio and television.
The network is also able to target messages to specific groups within the system. University users can be notified of assaults near or around campus, while businesses can be contacted about nearby thefts.
Participants registered on Friday in preparation for trial runs of the system.
“If it is successful, we hope to offer it to the entire Georgetown community and eventually the entire city in the case of an emergency,” Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Justin Wagner (CAS ‘03) said.
Project coordinators, who set up the system in collaboration with Roam Secure, Inc., hope to acquire more than 300 users.
“As a result of Friday, the community is enthusiastic, geared up and mobilized [for the program],” said Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner and Pilot Project Community Coordinator Ed Solomon.
Several groups are helping to bring this technology to Georgetown, including representatives of ANC 2E, the Burleith Citizens Association of Georgetown, the Georgetown Partnership, the Medical Center and the University.
Currently, these groups are working to improve the system by testing it under different emergency scenarios, such as a pipe burst or a chemical spill. The tests will ensure that the D.C. Department of Transportation and the Metropolitan Police Department will be properly notified in the event of an emergency.
If the program attracts an adequate number of participants in Georgetown, the coordinators of the alert system hope to expand the network throughout the Washington area.
Students are able to register online to be a part of the system. “I don’t feel as informed as I should about what is going on off campus. I think this system will help make me more aware,” said Elizabeth Morrison (MSB ‘06), when asked if she would sign up.
