Grant County industries work to provide warning system

MOSES LAKE - Grant County industries working with hazardous chemicals have nearly reached their goal of raising $88,043 to pay to set up a reverse 9-1-1 system.

The group of businesses has about $4,400 left to raise for a system that will tell Grant County residents about emergencies through the phone system, according to Ephrata City Council records.

The system will be discussed at tonight's city council meeting because the city was asked by Grant County Emergency Management and REC Silicon to help pay for the set-up.

The possibility the system could materialize and later be installed at Grant County Emergency Management's office at the Grant County Fairgrounds is "looking very promising," but nothing has been finalized, said Sandi Duffey, Grant County's emergency services coordinator.

It wasn't known Tuesday when the system could arrive.

"It's really a wonderful system and it would be gifted to Grant County," she said. "We do have industries that care about Grant County."

She said a similar system reportedly helped save sleeping people during the San Diego fires.

No specific incident in Grant County prompted the idea of the system, said Travis Skidmore, who serves on the Grant County Local Emergency Management Committee and works as REC Silicon's health, safety and environmental affairs supervisor.

The industries involved want to give back to the area and provide timely notification to Grant County in case of a chemical release, he said.

Grant County Emergency Management would decide if residents needed to be notified and activate the system.

He called the system "very dynamic" and said it can be used for other applications, including inclement weather.

"There are a lot of benefits to everyone in the county," he said.

The reverse system is not available at the Multiagency Communications Dispatch Center in Moses Lake, confirmed MACC Director Mary Allen.