Emergency Notification System to be Used During Excavation of Army Chemical Site in Washington DC
Glendale, Calif. --[EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION NEWS]-- October 25, 2004 - National Notification Network (3n), a provider of mass notification systems, announced today that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has contracted the company to provide an emergency notification system for use during an excavation project in Washington, DC to remove potential World War I-era chemical warfare materials.
In 2003, one glass bottle containing Lewisite, a blistering agent tested by the Army from 1917-1920, was discovered at the site. As a result, the Corps of Engineers returned to the site in June using extra engineering controls and safety measures to protect the public from potential release. The project is scheduled to take 10-12 months to complete.
In the event of an emergency at the site, the Corps will use the 3n system in tandem with an onsite siren to notify residents and American University personnel living or working within 194 feet of the site that they should immediately shelter-in-place. The 3n system will also be used to notify key Department of the Army personnel, the Washington, DC City Council, emergency responders and emergency management personnel. In an emergency, the 3n system will distribute a pre-recorded voice message and pre-prepared text message to all phone numbers and email addresses in its database. The messages will instruct residents to stay indoors to minimize their potential exposure, in addition to instructing the appropriate agencies that their emergency response procedures should be initiated.
