13.01.05 - Dialogic Emergency Notification System
CITY OF BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA ADMINISTRATIVE POLICY MANUAL CHAPTER: 13 Information Technology Systems Policy No. 13.01.05 SECTION: 01 Telephone System Page: 1 of 3 SUBJECT: 05 Dialogic
Emergency Notification System PURPOSE: The purpose of this policy is to establish guidelines for the proper use, authorization, and administrative support of the Dialogic Emergency Notification
System, hereinafter referred to as The Communicator. SCOPE: The primary use of this system is for emergency notifications related to public safety and public health emergencies. It will
allow the City to create voice broadcast messages and direct them to pre-defined groups or to a specific geographical area. It can also be used to deliver fax or pager broadcasts to
pre-defined groups. Secondary usage may be implemented for messages as approved by the individuals granted authority within this policy. AUTHORIZATION: Activation and usage of The Communicator
is restricted to trained individuals from any of the following departments: Communications, Police Department’s Technical Services Unit (PD-TSU), Fire Department, and Utilities Department.
Prior to broadcast, all notifications must be authorized by one of the following officers, or his or her designee: City Manager, Assistant City Manager, Assistant to the City Manager,
EOC Supervisor, Police Chief, Fire Chief. In the absence of the Police Chief or Fire Chief the Police Shift Commander, the on-duty Fire Commander and Communications Section Commander
would be authorized to activate the system. CATEGORIES OF OCCURRENCES: a. Hurricanes/Tropical Storms b. Tornadoes c. Severe weather d. Boil Water orders 1
e. Hazardous material spills f. Sewer/water/gas line breaks – including all areas serviced by the City outside of the City limits g. Missing child/endangered person h. Emergency evacuation
– City facilities and general public i. Public health and/or safety issues that may not be specifically referenced in this policy but which may be of such serious nature as to be considered
appropriate by any of the individuals with authority to initiate a call. j. Flood warnings TECHNICAL ADMINISTRATION/SUPPORT: The overall system and administration support including maintenance
upgrades, network connectivity and backup of The Communicator will be the responsibility of the Boynton Beach Police Department technical support staff and/or Palm Beach County EOC 9-1-1
Specialist/Dialogic System Administrator. CONTACT INFORMATION: • Palm Beach County 9-1-1 Specialist/Dialogic System Administrator, Division of Emergency Management: Call (561) 712-6485,
from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday, excluding County holidays. After-hours emergency, contact Emergency Management Division’s County Warning Point at (561) 712-6428. The
County Warning Point will notify the on-call Emergency Management Division personnel. • Police Department Technical Services Unit: Call (561)742-6171 during normal City business hours.
After-hours, PD-TSU can be contacted through Communications dispatch operators. TRAINING OF 911 STAFF: Training will be scheduled for new staff within six months of their hire date,
and refresher training shall be conducted for all supervisors on an annual basis. Dispatch Shift Supervisors will be responsible for and shall conduct such training. Training on the
system shall be extended to include public safety supervisors so that they will be familiar with the availability and use of the Communicator. Training may also be coordinated through
the Palm Beach County Emergency Management and the 9-1-1 Specialist/Dialogic System Administrator. TESTING OF THE SYSTEM: In the event that the system has not been used for emergency
notifications, the system shall be tested quarterly under the supervision of the system administrator to assure proper working conditions and that designated personnel are able to operate
the system. Test area shall not exceed one square mile and the same area shall not be 2
3 repeated as a test area in less than a three-year period. Proper review, including reports of the process after testing shall be conducted by the system administrator to verify results,
and shall be forwarded to the City Manager’s Office. DATABASE MANAGEMENT: Non-published numbers will be added into The Communicator after the resident signs a waiver to add his/her number
into the system. Individuals or business owners who desire to be removed from the call list utilized by the City for The Communicator may have their numbers removed by notifying the
City in writing of their desire to have their number removed. Only the individual who is listed at the telephone number may direct that their number be removed. In the case of a business
owner wishing the number removed, only the business owner or CEO may request the removal. SECURITY LEVELS: a. Security level for developing broadcast lists will be tied to the City’s
Active Directory login process for the Communication Shift Supervisors. b. Access to the system to troubleshoot technical problems shall be restricted to the Boynton Beach Police Department
Staff and the Palm Beach Dialogic Administrator. Effective Date: April 28, 2002 Revised Date: December 17, 2007 Kurt Bressner Kurt Bressner City Manager