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Emergency Text Service Results Announced

Rodney District Council’s test of its text emergency warning service was a qualified success.

This is according to the district’s Civil Defence public information manager Mike Isle after assessing responses to a test text sent last week to the service’s 2000 subscribers.

The test, commissioned by the Rodney District Council, followed criticism of the nation-wide service last month when text messages sent by several councils meant to alert people to a tsunami warning were received hours after the warning had passed and in some cases not at all.

As a result one council has discontinued the service.

Mr Isle says that in Rodney’s case texting is only one of a number of notification vehicles employed by Civil Defence in an emergency. “And certainly not the most important or effective,”he says.

He is cautioning against the public relying on it solely.

“There is still the prospect of delays or even a systemic failure in the case of high text traffic, as happened last month.

“But it is still important as another string in our bow for us to undertake this test and others in the future.”

Mr Isle says that return texts were received from just under half or the 2000 subscribers.

He says that a 50% response was acceptable and in line with expectation.

“It’s too much to expect that everybody would or could respond and the fact that just under a thousand did is pleasing for us.”

He says Civil Defence is also pleased that the bulk of the answers were received within 30 minutes.

“Obviously it’s impossible to replicate a real emergency situation when text traffic is likely to be high, and that’s the qualification, but the test still has value and we are planning on having others next year.”

One unexpected result was a small number of texts returned asking to opt out of the service. Mr Isle says those texts would be honoured but because it would be “unusual” to opt out of the free service those subscribers would be asked to confirm their request.

“If a mistake was made we’ll reinstate them on the service immediately,” says Mr Isle.

To subscribe to the service mobile phone owners can register free by texting OPTNRDCD to 2678.

Text messages will only be sent in the event of a tsunami, a potential local emergency such as a cyclone or when a Civil Defence Emergency is likely to be declared.

The service is free.

ENDS

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