Phone: (401) 228-8000
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Community Notification System |
Providence residents know they can call 9-1-1 to get assistance in the event of a police, fire or medical emergency. With the Reverse 911 system, Providence’s Emergency Management Agency & Office of Homeland Security personnel can also notify residents and businesses about a potential emergency circumstance.
The Reverse 911 Community Notification System allows the City of Providence to rapidly notify specific geographical areas by telephone with minimal impact on emergency services personnel.
How does Reverse 911 work?
In the event of an emergency, the Providence Emergency Management Agency & Office of Homeland Security or other authorized Public Safety personnel can identify the affected area of Providence and record a message that describes the situation and recommends the protective actions residents should take. The Reverse 911 system will automatically call out to all listed, unlisted and non-published residential and commercial telephone numbers within a specific geographical area and deliver the recorded message. If phone lines are busy, the system will attempt to redial those numbers a predetermined number of times to make contact. If an answering machine picks up the call, the emergency message will be left on the machine.
System Features
The Reverse 911 system’s features make it an excellent tool for sharing information and alerting residents in the case of an emergency situation.
- It can provide an initial warning as well as specific instructions to protect at-risk citizens. Both factors are necessary for an effective warning.
- Reverse 911 can target specific geographic locations, warning only those people who are directly at risk.
- The system uses existing devices (telephones) to alert citizens; there is no need for people to buy a specialized warning device.
- The system can deliver text messages to TTY/TDD devices. This feature has the potential to greatly enhance our ability to warn and protect citizens who are deaf or hard of hearing.
- System administrators can add telephone numbers to the database. This feature can also be used to add cell phone numbers to the system.
Some of the many uses of the system include:
- Emergency Evacuations
- Missing Person Alerts
- Natural Disaster Alerts
- Hazardous Material Leaks
- Search and Rescue Operations
- Crime Prevention
- Wanted Person Alerts
- Neighborhood Emergency Incidents
- Special Community Notifications
- Homeland Security
The REVERSE 911 technology provides Providence’s emergency services personnel with a state-of-the-art, public safety communication solutions to better serve those who live and work in Providence.
System Limitations
As with any system, the Reverse 911 system has its limitations. These can be minimized with diligent administration of the system, but they will always exist to some degree:
- Cell phone numbers are not included in the Emergency 911 database. Cell phone numbers can be manually entered into the system by Providence residents by registering through the Providence Emergency Management Agency & Office of Homeland Security website at www.providenceri.com/PEMA as part of a Cell Phone Emergency notification list.
- Reverse 911 is very effective for making notifications within a well-defined geographic area. Due to the outgoing call capacity of the system, the system becomes less effective as the geographic area gets larger. For this reason, the City of Providence takes a systematic approach to warning, recognizing that no single application can provide warning to all citizens in all situations. The Reverse 911 system is an excellent enhancement to the City’s system of sharing information with our citizens, but it does not replace Providence’s other notification systems such as the City of Providence’s website, www.providenceri.com, the local television, radio stations and local newspapers.
Call Screening Features
Reverse 911 will not work with phone lines having call screening features. For example, if your phone line requires an individual to identify himself or her through a recorded message before the call is accepted, the Reverse 911 system will not work. The system is designed to play the recorded message upon voice activation, such as a person saying "hello" or an answering machine recording.
Private Call Blocking
Moreover, the Reverse 911 system will work if your phone line has private call blocking. The system automatically identifies itself, allowing the phone call through.
New Residents
Citizens that have recently moved into Providence or changed their residential phone (not cell) will automatically be entered into the Providence REVERSE 911 system due to an agreement with Emergency 911 (E-911), they have agreed to provide to the City of Providence periodic updates to the Providence residents, published, unlisted and non-published telephone numbers and businesses databases.
The incorporation of the REVERSE 911 system represents the City of Providence’s continuing commitment to providing our citizens with the most advanced technologies available to ensure that our local public safety is as effective as possible.
City Hall Contact Information & Hours
Providence City Hall
Phone: (401) 421-7740 · TDD (401) 751-0203
25 Dorrance Street, Providence, RI 02903
Hours *
Monday thru Friday 8:30am to 4:30pm
Summer Hours: Monday thru Friday 8:30am to 4:00pm
* Special early closing times to service the last customer apply to certain Departments. To ensure that you're not disappointed, please call ahead or arrive before 4:00pm.
