Halton Region and the City of Burlington, the Town of Halton Hills, the Town of Milton and the Town of Oakville to Test Emergency Notification System

On Thursday, December 6, 2012, between the hours of 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., Halton Region and the City of Burlington, the Town of Halton Hills, the Town of Milton and the Town of Oakville will test Halton’s Community Emergency Notification Service (CENS).

The Community Emergency Notification Service is an automated telephone call-out service that allows emergency personnel such as police or fire officials to send important information to residents in case of a real emergency. During an actual emergency, CENS would be used together with other methods of notification, such as radio, television, web or emergency personnel going door to door.

“Halton Region’s Emergency Management Program works to enhance the safety of residents,” said Halton Regional Chair Gary Carr. “Halton works with the City of Burlington, the Town of Halton Hills, the Town of Milton, the Town of Oakville, police, fire departments, Emergency Medical Services and other community partners and agencies to ensure that Halton is prepared to deal with emergency situations.”

Testing of CENS is being done in support of the emergency management programs of Halton Region, the City of Burlington, the Town of Halton Hills, the Town of Milton and the Town of Oakville. This provides an excellent opportunity to test emergency notification capabilities and identify any areas where improvements can be made.

Approximately 1,400 residents in Burlington (Ward 6), Halton Hills (Ward 1), Milton (Ward 1) and Oakville (Ward 4) will receive an automated phone call on December 6 between 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. that will include the following message:

“Hello. This is a public safety test message from Halton Region and your Local Municipality [the City of Burlington, the Town of Halton Hills, the Town of Milton, the Town of Oakville]. This is a test of the Community Emergency Notification Service. Once again, this is just a test. There is no emergency. During a real emergency, this service would provide further instructions. If you have any questions, please contact Access Halton by dialing 311. Please press 1 now to confirm receipt of this test message. Thank you for your cooperation.”

No action, other than answering the call and pressing 1, is required. If a resident does not answer and has an answering service, a message will be left. Residents may also receive a follow-up telephone call from Halton Region asking for feedback about the test.

For more information about CENS or Halton’s Emergency Management Program and to download or order Halton’s Personal Emergency Preparedness Guide, visit www.halton.ca/beprepared, dial 311 or 905-825-6000, Toll free 1-866-442-5866 or TTY 905-827-9833. Follow @BPreparedHalton on Twitter for incident updates and preparedness tips.www.halton.ca.

The Regional Municipality of Halton serves more than 500,000 residents in the City of Burlington, the Town of Halton Hills, the Town of Milton, and the Town of Oakville. Halton Region is committed to meeting the needs of its residents through the delivery of cost-effective, quality programs and services, including water and wastewater; Regional roads and planning; emergency medical services; waste management; public health; social assistance/Ontario Works; children’s and seniors’ services; social/non-profit housing; heritage programs; emergency management and economic development. For more information, dial 311 or visit Halton Region’s website