For Immediate Release
July 5, 2012

Contact: Jaime Walker
Town of Avon, Community Relations
970-748-4087; jwalker@avon.org

911 subscription service available to Avon and Eagle Valley residents

July 3, 2012 – Residents in the Town of Avon and the rest of Eagle Valley now have the opportunity to subscribe additional phone numbers to Eagle County’s 911 call back system. The automated voice notification system is used to disseminate emergency information over the phone, such as evacuation notices, based on location. The service is available at www.eaglecounty.us.

The 911 call back system relies on databases purchased from telephone companies that provide landline service associated with a physical location. These databases do not include cellular numbers or Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) numbers, such as Vonage or XFINITY Voice. The new subscription service allows these numbers to be added to the database and assigned to an address.

Anyone may subscribe to the service; however, Eagle County Emergency Manager Barry Smith says it may be of particular importance to residents without landline phones, those with VoIP phone service, and second homeowners.

The 911 voice system and EC Alert, a text message and email subscription service, were recently tested by Eagle County and the Vail Public Safety Communications Center. Smith says while the new subscription service is a valuable tool, the test indicated that EC Alert was much more efficient and effective.

All residents are strongly encouraged to subscribe to EC Alert at www.ecalert.org. The service is customizable and provides citizens with useful information and emergency updates by sending messages to a variety of devices, including email accounts and cell phones. Registration to EC Alert is free, although text messaging fees may apply based on individual cell phone plans.

For more information on emergency preparedness, contact Eagle County Emergency Management at 970-328-3545.

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