Did you get an evacuation warning on your phone?
By Mike Steely
Senior Writer
steelym@knoxfocus.com
Did you get an evacuation warning recently during the Western Avenue dynamite incident? While the warning was supposed to be sent out to people in the immediate area of the event, many cell phone users in Knox and surrounding counties also received the notice.
The discovery of the metal box, left by someone at a recycling facility, caused alarms to be sent out to phones, television and on the internet. The warnings originated at the Knox County Emergency Communications headquarters and the evacuation warning was discussed at that agency’s board meeting Wednesday morning.
Knox911 Director Brad Anders told the meeting that the alert system is “not perfect” and said even some Oak Ridge residents received an evacuation notice as well as Anderson and Jefferson County residents. He said that the present warning system has a limited number of spaces allowed for a message.
Both Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon and Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs, who co-chair the board meetings, said they received the alert on their phones. Kincannon still had the warning recorded on her phone and both Jacobs and Anders viewed it. Anders said that when the 911 system hit a rebroadcast command, the alert went out to the entire county and other jurisdictions when it was supposed to be limited to the immediate incident area.
“We’ve learned a lot,” he said, adding FEMA and other agencies need to make improvements to the warning system.
“It did get people’s attention,” Kincannon said.
Colin Ickes, director of the Knoxville-Knox County Emergency Management Agency, said there needs to be more response training with other agencies throughout the state and cited the differences in cell phones and locations.
Kincannon asked if the responders on the scene were in contact with 911 during the alert. Brad Anders said there should be testing of the system more often and added that a website should be created where people can “click on it and find out what’s going on.”
“There’s a better way to do it,” he said.
In other action, the Knox911 board saw Mayor Kincannon recognize outgoing Finance Director John Fugate for his years of service. Anders spoke about a rapid response system in the school system that would cut down on the arrival times of emergency services. He noted that while Western North Carolina lost 14 911 call centers Tennessee lost none. He said a Starlink system is being considered as a backup to responder cell phone system.
Anders also updated the board on the takeover of dispatch for Seymour and EMS services, describing the change as “very complex.” He said he hopes the Knox County system fully taking over dispatch might be completed in February, noting that some rescue and volunteer fire departments currently operate on non-compatible radio systems.
He also reported on the ongoing certification of more managers at Knox911 facility’s dispatch office, an upcoming regional training session, and an updating of maps.
Finance Director Fugate urged the system to move some of the $18 million in its undesignated surplus funds to other accounts, like equipment funding, so the system looks more balanced. Anders said that is being considered and proposed a vote on it during the board’s next meeting in January.
