9-1-1 Reminder

October 22, 2013

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact: Megan Silverstrim

                            717-729-7019

Cumberland County Emergency Officials Remind Residents to Dial 9-1-1 for Emergencies

Cumberland County, Pennsylvania- The Cumberland County Department of Public Safety (DPS) is reminding residents that 9-1-1 is the number to call for emergencies.  Several incidents recently have occurred in which those experiencing emergencies have attempted to directly dial police or fire departments to report an emergency or potential emergency.  By doing so, callers may delay services and the appropriate emergency response may not be generated. 

Cumberland County 9-1-1 dispatchers are specially trained to determine the nature and severity of an emergency through a series of questions.  They are also equipped with special equipment that helps in identifying caller location and determining appropriate emergency response.  While 9-1-1 is for emergencies only, DPS realizes situations may arise in which callers are unsure if an incident is an emergency.  When in doubt, callers should dial 9-1-1 for assistance.  Callers may also dial the non-emergency lines (717-238-9676- West Shore, 717-243-4121- Carlisle,          717-532-8878- Shippensburg) if they need fire or police assistance, but do not believe it to be an emergency situation.

The Cumberland County 9-1-1 center answers nearly 350,000 phone calls a year and dispatches for police, fire and emergency medical services in Cumberland County.  All Cumberland County 9-1-1 dispatchers are certified in emergency medical dispatch, CPR/AED response and must maintain various state and federal training certifications.  For more information on Cumberland County 9-1-1 visit www.ccpa.net/publicsafety.

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Lower Allen Township Law Enforcement Incident

July 26, 2013

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact: Megan Silverstrim

                            717-729-7019

Law Enforcement Incident in Lower Allen Township Closes Lisburn Road

Cumberland County, Pennsylvania- (On behalf of the Lower Allen Township Police Department) The Cumberland County Special Response Team was sent to Lower Allen Township Park to assist Lower Allen Township Police with an out of state vehicle with an individual with a gun inside the vehicle.  The Cumberland County Coroner’s office has also been alerted to the scene and Lisburn Road has been reopened.  Lower Allen Township Park remains closed.  All further information releases will come from the Cumberland County Coroner’s Office.

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Intern Insight Week 2

My second week at the Department of Public Safety was an eventful and informative one. In the morning, I learned a lot about the Department’s mobile 911 unit, and was quite impressed by the amount of technology that is available to us at the county level. For some reason, I always assumed that county government was done MacGyver style, with very little materials to work with. I am finding more and more that my assumption was very wrong, and that there are in fact a lot of resources available to county level government.

            In the afternoon I attended a county commissioner’s meeting, my first meeting of the sort. What struck me the most was how official the meeting was, yet how it still ran efficiently. Working within county government has shown me that government does work well on a local level, despite the public perception that government does not work well on any level. I am becoming more and more optimistic about local government by working with the Department of Public Safety, and am more at ease trusting them to manage our emergencies, like the pending zombie apocalypse.

Meet Andrew - Intern Insight

My name is Andrew Bower and I am a 21 year old student of Shippensburg University. My major at Shippensburg University is political science, and to answer the question that everyone always asks: no, I do not plan to run for office. I have no interest in making policy or nominating Supreme Court justices. Those are things that should be left for better men than me. I prefer to focus my time on the political side of government, working with campaigns and analyzing the actions, statements, and shoes of our elected officials. However, that is not to say that my interest lies entirely on the political side of government. I do have an interest in the finer points of government, for example, emergency management. When I was first given a tour of the Department of Public Safety I was fascinated. Just in the 2 hours that I was in the building for a presentation, my attention was captured. I wanted to know more about what happens when someone calls 911, or who takes care of the roads during a blizzard. These things may seem like the mundane workings of bureaucracy to most people, but to me they were a behind the scenes look at some of the most important functions of our local government. Up until then, I had thought that FEMA was the only emergency management agency. I thought if a disaster was bad that FEMA would come into the area of disaster and clean up. I also thought that each police station had its own 911 center, and calls were routed to it based on proximity. I was very wrong. To learn that there is one center for a whole county boggled my mind. I have learned a lot about the Department of Public Safety just in the past few months preparing for my internship here, and I am sure that I have a lot of learning left to do.

First Energy Offers Winter Storm Tips

FirstEnergy Offers Tips to Prepare for Severe Winter Storm

Snow and Winds Forecast Across Territory

Akron, Ohio – With severe winter weather predicted for states served by FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE) utilities, customers are encouraged to prepare for power outages that could result from high winds and heavy snow.

Beginning Wednesday, the storm is expected to produce a wintry mix of snow and high winds in western Maryland, higher elevations of West Virginia, central and northern New Jersey and parts of northern and eastern Pennsylvania.

Customers can take these following steps to prepare for the possibility of outages caused by winter storms:

Keep a flashlight and extra batteries handy. Use care when burning candles; open flames are a fire hazard.
Gather extra blankets or a sleeping bag for each person. Do not use gas stoves, kerosene heaters or other open-flame heat sources to prevent deadly carbon monoxide gas from building up in your home.
If you have a water well and pump, keep an emergency supply of bottled water and/or fill your bathtub with fresh water. Stock an emergency supply of convenience foods that do not require cooking. Keep a battery-powered radio with extra batteries on hand. Tune to a local station for current storm information. Have a hard-wired telephone or a charged cell phone handy in the event you need to report your electricity is out. Mobile phones can be charged in your vehicle using a car charger when the power is out. If you have a smart phone, this will ensure you have access to online information sources.

Downed Wires

Customers should immediately report downed wires to their local utility or local police or fire department. Customers should never go near a downed power line, even if they think it's no longer carrying electricity. Don’t try to remove trees or tree limbs from power lines. Wait for utility crews to arrive.

Customer Generators

Emergency power generators offer an option for customers needing or wanting uninterrupted service. However, to ensure the safety of the home’s occupants as well as that of utility company employees who may be working on power lines in the area, the proper generator should be selected and installed by a qualified electrician. When operating a generator, the power coming into the home should always be disconnected. Otherwise, power from the generator could be sent back onto the utility lines, creating a hazardous situation for utility workers.
Outages

FirstEnergy customer call centers will be fully staffed. Customers who are without power are encouraged to call 1-888-LIGHTSS (1-888-544-4877) to report their outage or click the "Report Outage" link on www.firstenergycorp.com via smartphone.

FirstEnergy customers also can utilize a new free smartphone app to report outages and access important information and services related to their electric accounts. The app is available for Apple

® iPhone® and Android™ smartphones. Customers can use the keyword 3

"FirstEnergy" to locate the apps in the online store. A new mobile website is also available to customers who use a smartphone to visit www.firstenergycorp.com.

For updated information on the company’s storm preparation efforts, current outages, FirstEnergy’s storm restoration process and tips for staying safe, customers are urged to visit the 24/7 Power Center at www.firstenergycorp.com/outages. The operating companies also will provide updates via Twitter:

Toledo Edison: @ToledoEdison
The Illuminating Company: @IlluminatingCo
Ohio Edison: @OhioEdison
Mon Power: @MonPowerWV
JCP&L: @JCP_L
Penn Power: @Penn_Power
Penelec: @Penelec
Met-ED: @Met_Ed
Potomac Edison: @PotomacEdison
West Penn Power: @W_Penn_Power

FirstEnergy is a diversified energy company dedicated to safety, reliability and operational excellence. Its 10 electric distribution companies form one of the nation’s largest investor-owned electric systems, serving customers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia, Maryland and New York. Its generation subsidiaries control more than 20,000 megawatts of capacity from a diversified mix of scrubbed coal, non-emitting nuclear, natural gas, pumped-storage hydro and other renewables. Follow FirstEnergy on Twitter @FirstEnergyCorp.

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Prepare for Outages With Winter Storm

March 5, 2012

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:    Megan Silverstrim, Cumberland County

                        717.729.7019

Cumberland County Officials Encourage Preparing for Outages as Severe Weather Approaches

Cumberland County, Pennsylvania– It is Severe Weather Awareness Week in Cumberland County and Mother Nature seems to be playing along as a winter storm is quickly approaching the area.  As part of Severe Weather Awareness week the Cumberland County Department of Public Safety (DPS) will be spending the day participating in a statewide severe weather exercise as well as preparing for the pending storm. 

                                                                                                         

With forecasters predicting up to six inches of snow, with the possibility of ten inches in some areas, DPS officials are encouraging residents to take general steps to prepare for the storm.  There is potential for utility outages with this storm, as high winds will be associated with this system.  Residents should have utility outage reporting numbers on hand, and supplies to help them through any long term outages (nonperishable food, extra blankets, flash lights, battery powered radio and charge cell phones).  Utility outages should not be reported to the 9-1-1 emergency number.  Residents are also urged to take extreme caution when traveling the snow covered roads and avoid traveling if possible. 

For more information on this severe weather event stay tuned to local news networks and visit www.ccpa.net.  For more information on preparing for this storm visit www.ready.gov/winter-weather.

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Severe Weather Awareness Week 2013

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 19, 2013

CONTACT: Megan Silverstrim

Commissioners Issue Severe Weather Awareness Proclamation

Cumberland County, Pennsylvania- Cumberland County Board of Commissioners proclaimed March 4-8, 2013 as Severe Weather Awareness Week in Cumberland County during today's regular Board of Commissioner's Meeting.  The program is a coordinated effort between the Cumberland County Department of Public Safety (DPS), the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency and the U.S. National Weather Service.

The purpose of Severe Weather Awareness Week is to remind citizens to prepare for the expected and unexpected severe weather that can occur in Cumberland County.  Much like 2011, 2012 proved to be a year full of severe weather, including a late season hurricane named Sandy.  Forecasters expect 2013 to be just as active with severe weather, which means no one can afford to let their guard down when it comes to preparing.  With this in mind, DPS will be spending the week promoting preparedness at home and in the workplace, as well as educating the public on the various types of common and uncommon severe weather that can impact our area.

There will be a statewide weather exercise to coincide with Severe Weather Awareness Week, which will occur on March5, 2013.  For more information on the exercise, visit www.pema.state.pa.us or tune into your NOAA weather radios on March 5th.

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