Emergency notification system problems may have delayed evacuation alert in Herriman

HERRIMAN — Problems with the standard phone emergency notification system may have been the reason some residents affected by the Camp Williams fire weren't told to evacuate until they had no time to grab anything.

"Having to leave the house that fast, and having to leave everything we had put aside, we never had a chance to get anything out," said resident Stephen Shields, who had to leave behind medical equipment to treat his sleep apnea.

Sunday night's evacuation wasn't the first time Shields has had to leave his home because of a fire from Camp Williams — but it was certainly the fastest.

"We just didn't figure we had any problems because before they always warned us way early to get prepared for it," Shields said. "This time we had no warning. They didn't come and warn us at all."

Shields watched the flames race down the hill above his house just as he heard a police officer on a loud speaker driving down the street, telling people to get out immediately.

One reason Shields received no advance warning could have been that he never received the 911 call, which is a primary method local police and fire authorities use to quickly relay critical information to the public.

Only about 60 percent of the 911 calls sent out by Valley Emergency Communications Center (VECC), went through, officials said Tuesday.

When the reverse 911 calls went out, some phone lines were busy, some had an outdated phone number and some residents hung up immediately because they thought it was a solicitation. The reverse 911 number shows up as long distance, which some residents block or ignore.

Aware of the problem, law enforcement sent emergency responders out to notify residents in person while strong winds pushed the fire closer to homes, said Unified Police Lt. Don Hutson.

"Right up until the fire was in the backyards of many houses there were officers and firefighters that were attempting to make contact with people, literally risking their lives," Hutson said. "We did the best that we could with what we had and we made every effort to try to contact people."

Officials from VECC are asking people who get a call from the system to listen to the full message and follow the instructions. Public Information Officer Geana Randall said people who get a call need to press certain keys at the end of the recording.

"If they didn't press one of those numbers, then the information that's captured by the software indicates to us that that's a hang up," Randall said.