In case of a disaster such

as a terrorist attack on Fayette County, residents are urged not to call

911 for information.

Instead, it's likely that an

information hotline will be established by county officials so the 911

dispatchers don't get swamped with non-emergency calls, said Pete Nelms

of the Fayette County Department of Fire and Emergency Services.

The information phone number,

along with other emergency news would be publicized through the media

such as radio and TV stations, including the county's local access television

channel for Comcast cable subscribers.

Cheryl Rogers, director of

Fayette County's 911 communications center, urged people not to call 911

for information purposes in the event of a disaster.

Such calls "take away

the time and ears of the operator" from important calls, Rogers said.

"We may have a medical emergency we need to take care of right away."

Rogers said 911 employees have

worked hard to keep up with developments in case Fayette is attacked.

She suggested the best way for citizens to stay informed is to "stay

tuned" on TV and radio coverage.

In case an area of the county

needs to be evacuated, officials can use the First Call system to telephone

hundreds of homes at a time with a pre-recorded message alerting them

to the dangerous situation, Nelms said.

And the county's fledgling

emergency warning system can also be used to verbally warn residents with

a prerecorded message, but the speakers are only located in strategic

parts of the county typically near mobile home communities.

Back

to News Home Page |