Emergency call plan makes a lot of sense

Even in this age of mp3s and podcasts, the "old-fashioned" ways have an invaluable role to play.

A case in point is the Panhandle Health District's decision to pay $36,000 for a telephone emergency notification system in Kootenai County, with plans to add it to the other four northern counties in the future. Under the system, Surfsimple Technologies' program Mapstorm allows a computerized map to be hooked up to a 911 system and make emergency calls to selected areas on the map.

Not everyone has a computer, and many choose not to own cell phones. A growing number, in fact, live "off the grid," using solar power and other "green" technologies.

The current system relies on radio and television to spread the word about emergencies, from windstorms to chemical spills. How do you reach residents who don't listen to the radio, watch satellite TV and prefer reading books to surfing the Internet?

That's where Mapstorm comes in. The system can make about 20 calls per minute and can be targeted to specific areas and neighborhoods impacted by emergency situations.

It's great to see PHD looking beyond the obvious to fulfill its mission to protect the health of residents in Boundary, Bonner, Benewah, Kootenai and Shoshone counties.

The cost of the system is minimal when you consider how many residents in northern Idaho will have an added layer of security when it goes into effect this fall.

PHD deserves kudos for recognizing a problem existed, and for researching solutions using a blend of old and new technologies.

? Caroline Lobsinger is the managing editor of the Daily Bee.