Wyoming’s Rapid Communication
| Wyoming’s 500,000-person population is scattered across a large geographic area with an average of only five people per square mile. Rapid communication can be a challenge when disseminating important, possibly life-saving information. Many of the state’s towns and outlying areas still rely on low-speed dialup for Internet access. (The low population density -- except in the major cities Casper and Cheyenne -- does not provide economic viability for telecommunication companies to provide faster communications infrastructures.) |
- Creating a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) to broadcast emergency messages over National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) radios.
- Broadcasting emergency messages over local radio and TV stations.
- Inviting counties to use the health department’s HAN (Health Alert Network) to notify key people in their own county.
- Creating an MOA between specific agencies and Wyoming Department of Transportation to utilize the intelligent traffic management signs suspended over highways.
- Analyzing specific agencies’ communication needs to minimize duplication.
Wyoming Updates HAN
The Wyoming Department of Health, Public Health and Terrorism Preparedness Program (PHTPP), and the Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) have jointly sponsored and created a single information technology and software solution/portal known as WARN (from Wyoming Alert and Response Network) for emergency information dissemination and emergency response coordination for state, county, local, and tribal entities. WARN supports three public health and emergency preparedness initiatives: the Wyoming Health Alert Network (WYHAN); the Wyoming Volunteer Registry (WYVOL); and the Wyoming Hospital Capacity Tracking System (WYHCT). Unlike the previous HAN system -- with its “blast fax” (non-secure) application, eight outgoing analog phone lines, and maintenance-intensive fax number database -- WARN is capable of sending out alerts via multiple electronic devices (e-mail, landline, cell phone, or pager) as well as a fax with 48 outgoing digital phone lines and much-improved distribution time. The new system is self-administered: Recipients log into a secure portal to enter and maintain their own contact information.HAN Adapted for AMBER Alerts
To continue PHTPP’s commitment to interagency cooperation, WARN now supports the Wyoming attorney general’s Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) Amber Alert notification service. DCI has been designated as the single point of contact for initiating AMBER Alerts at the request of Wyoming law enforcement agencies or other law enforcement agencies making such a request. Until recently, DCI used a “Blast Fax” system connected to eight telephone lines using analog modems. During DCI’s most recent AMBER Alert test, though, WARN allowed Amber Alert recipients to receive alerts via various electronic devices. Key DCI personnel were trained in administering the HAN that hosts the AMBER Alert portion. AMBER Alert recipients were requested to log into the portal to enter their contact information and preferred method of receiving AMBER Alerts. The Amber Alert system is routinely tested.Collaboration Yields Positive Results
The state of Wyoming is fortunate to be able to enhance its AMBER Alert system with WARN, enabling critical information to be shared throughout the state to locate abducted, endangered children more efficiently, more effectively, and most important, more rapidly. Using WARN was one of many strategies implementedvia the AMBER Alert Plan. The AMBER Alert Plan is the result of the cooperative effort between law enforcement, broadcasters, and other agencies working together as the Wyoming AMBER Advisory Group. Since its inception in January 2004, Wyoming has had five activations, resulting in two safe recoveries as a direct result of the activation using the new system.For more information, contact the Wyoming Department of Health’s Public Health and Terrorism Preparedness Program: Paul Card, Health Communication Program Coordinator, pcard@state.wy.us
Sheryl Roub, Project Manager, sroubstate.wy.us