The new Emergency Mobile Alert (EMA) system proved its worth on Sunday when New Plymouth residents at risk from an ammonia leak became the first people in the country to receive a warning text.
Police were called at around 4:30am to assist Fire and Emergency New Zealand at a factory in Paraite Road, Bell Block, where the leak was posing a serious health risk.
Superintendent Dave Trappitt, National Manager: Communication Centres, says the system was very useful where a number of people needed to be notified of an immediate risk and where evacuation was not an option.
“Fire were the lead agency and they were very busy dealing with the leak so Police Central Communications Centre consulted them and made the decision to contact residents in the immediate area via text alert to provide them with urgent safety advice,” says Dave.
“The message was sent through cell towers to mobile phones in a specific surrounding area, taking into account weather and wind direction. Cell phones capable of picking up alert messages in range of these towers would have received the alert.”
Residents were sent an updated alert at shortly after 6am, once there was no further risk.
Inspector Steve Braybrook, shift commander in Central Comms at the time, made the call to issue the EMA.
“It was an evolving job,” says Steve. “We were still trying to establish with Fire how big the problem was going to be, but there was already a significant amount of ammonia in the air and heading towards homes in Bell Block.
“We couldn’t deploy staff into the path of the gas to evacuate everybody as that would put them at risk. So I was thinking – how do we tell everybody within the Bell Block community?
“Then I remembered the emergency alert option and it seemed like sensible idea - this was the sort of situation it is meant for.
“I spoke with Fire and said that, from my point of view, evacuation and safety of the public are a Police responsibility so we would send the message out.”
He says the system was straightforward and efficient. “Social media reacted to it really quickly. It was great to get the message out and be able to keep people safe, without having to put our staff at risk.”
The Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management (MCDEM) led the implementation of EMA, which uses cell broadcast technology to send alerts to compatible mobile phones in a defined geographical area when life, health or property may be at risk.
“This example just goes to show how well Emergency Mobile Alerts can work,” says Dave. “We are grateful to have access to such an effective resource.”