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Agency Establishes Phone Notification System

As part of an emergency response action at a chemical plant in Newark, New Jersey, a densely populated, multi-ethnic urban area, EPA coordinated the installation of a unique communication system in the community to reduce the risk of exposure in the event of another release during cleanup at the site. Federal, state, and local emergency response personnel developed a telephone notification system that contained the telephone numbers of all area businesses, residents, schools, day care centers, hospitals, and emergency response personnel. If another release of hazardous substances had occurred, the system would have automatically sent messages, in several languages, to the entire community informing them of the incident and providing emergency instructions, if any were needed. Fortunately, it never became necessary to activate the system.

By taking such steps to deliver important information to the public as directly and quickly as possible, EPA fosters more cooperation with government activities and helps to ensure the health and safety of the community.