LAWRENCE: Reverse 911 notification sign-ups available

By Lea Kahn
   Lawrence Township residents who want to be informed of local emergencies — whether it is a change in the recycling pickup schedule or a health emergency — may now sign up for the township’s new “reverse 911” emergency notification system.
   Dubbed “Swift 911,” the registration form is available on the home page of the Lawrence Township website at www.lawrencetwp.com. The system, which allows for notification by telephone, cell phone, e-mail or text messaging, is expected to be implemented July 1.
   The registration form asks for the resident’s address and the primary phone number, plus three alternate phone numbers. There is a box to check off for TTY, which is a teletypewriter system for the deaf or hard of hearing.
   The new “Swift 911” system will be managed by the Mahwah-based Swiftreach Networks, at an annual cost of about $7,500.
   Municipal Manager Richard Krawczun said the reverse 911 system can be used for emergencies, as well as other public notifications. Residents may be contacted if there is a snow emergency and the trash collection schedule has to be changed, or if recycling has to be changed because of an event, he said.
   It would also allow the township to let residents know if there is a rabid animal on the loose, or if there is a health emergency and residents need to boil water before using it, Mr. Krawczun said.
   For example, the Trenton Water Works experienced a problem and township residents had to boil water last year, he said. Notification was made by Mercer County’s reverse 911 system.
   Mr. Krawczun said the township would still make use of Mercer County’s reverse 911 system. The county system is implemented at Lawrence Township officials’ request, he said.
   The township is implementing its own reverse 911 emergency notification system because it will give the township more control over being able to send out information in an emergency, he said. It will also allow the township to notify residents of information of an “emergent” nature, he added.
   For more information or to register for Swift 911, check the Lawrence Township Web site at www.lawrencetwp.com.