PORT ANGELES — Clallam County has inked an interlocal agreement with the city to purchase a new emergency-notification system.
The Everbridge system will replace 21st Century, the technology being used at the city-run Peninsula Communications 9-1-1 dispatch center.
Under the agreement that commissioners approved Tuesday, the county will administer the one-year contract, and the city will cover the $18,000 maximum cost.
The city will pay half the cost in subsequent years, with the various agencies that use the system supplying the rest.
Needed upgrade
“This started at the PenCom Advisory Committee as a discussion to upgrade the notification system that’s currently in use by law enforcement,” said Alice Hoffman, Clallam County Sheriff’s Office chief civil deputy.
“It was determined that it was costly and needed to be upgraded.”
PenCom Manager Steve Romberg said the Everbridge system is “so much more functional” because people can sign up with any telephone number to receive alerts.
“You can put cellphone numbers in, you can put your office phone number in — all of that,” Romberg told commissioners.
Unlimited use
“With the current system, it’s just the data we get from CenturyLink, which is just landline phones. And we all know that landlines are really going away,” Romberg said.
Another advantage is the unlimited use.
“We pay the $18,000 a year, and that is it,” Romberg said.
PenCom, a division of the Port Angeles Police Department, has interlocal agreements with 17 agencies for which it dispatches.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5072, or at rollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
