San Luis Valley

Emergency Preparedness Network

On May 11, San Luis Valley Project Impact in cooperation with the San Luis Valley E911 Authority Board installed the new Emergency Preparedness Network (EPN) in the San Luis Valley. The EPN system is able to contact residents via telephone to warn them of an emergency, severe weather, or an impending natural disaster. The EPN system is known for its ability to alert thousand of residents to impending dangers in just minutes, calling up to 2,000 telephone numbers per minute. The system can be especially important in the middle of the night, when most persons are not listening to the radio or watching television in order to hear and heed warnings in their area. A major plus to the EPN system is that it allows law enforcement personnel, or fire fighters to respond immediately to a disaster, rather than taking valuable time away from their jobs to go door to door to warn persons of an impending emergency.

The EPN warning allows residents to prepare for the emergency and be able to protect both their lives and property. The EPN system will deliver a pre-recorded message warning the homeowner of a disaster and instructing him/her what action needs to be taken. In the case of a severe winter storm residents will be encouraged to have a three day emergency supply of food and water, to shelter both pets and livestock and have food and water available for them for a three day period.

In the case of a wild fire, residents will be instructed to wet down their property and home. In the case of a possible hazardous spill on a Valley highway or road, residents in the area of contamination will be advised to evacuate their homes and to take residence at a shelter located in a safe area.. The EPN can also be used to notify the public about kidnapped children and jail breakouts. The fast alert can often aid law enforcement in the quick recovery of missing children or apprehension of criminals.

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When an emergency occurs, law enforcement or emergency managers mark the geographical area of the Valley that might be threatened by severe winter weather or some other emergency on a map. The residents in the designated area will receive a phone call from the EPN system informing them of an impending emergency and instructing them of what steps they need to take to ensure their safety. This will allow residents to get livestock under cover, bring pets inside, and to stock up on adequate supplies of food and water in case of a major storm. The system has also proven effective in quickly alerting residents to forest or wild fires moving in their direction and has allowed residents to take action to save their property by receiving advance notification.

Residents who receive a message from the EPN are encouraged to follow the instructions given in the EPN message. They are not to call 911 or neighbors after notification because this ties up telephone lines and slows the systems ability to make its calls.