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Cowlitz County public works recommends $30,000-a-year mass-notification system that would add geotargeted texts and triage dispatch
Summary
Public services staff proposed adopting a commercial mass-notification and triage system (Doppler) to send geofenced texts, accept image reports from the public, and replace contract dispatch services; staff said the vendor's bid was roughly $30,000 per year and they will present a formal proposal to the board on a future Monday.
Mike Moss, Cowlitz County Public Services Director, briefed the board on a proposed mass-notification and incident-response system for public works and county operations. He said staff solicited demonstrations and competitive bids and identified a vendor, Doppler, that matched the county's feature needs at the lowest price.
Moss described capabilities the county would gain if it adopts Doppler: opt-in alerts by text, email or phone; geolocation/geofencing to target notices to people in a specific area; the ability for residents to send images and on-the-ground reports; and an integrated triage/dispatch function that would accept and prioritize incoming reports. Moss said Doppler's bid came in "in about $30,000 per year." He said the county's existing option through the county's emergency management partner uses Flash Alert, which charges per text or call and is used for IPAWS-level (FEMA) alerts; that approach has cost constraints and differing eligibility rules.
Moss emphasized scope limits: county emergency management (DEM) would remain the primary conduit for life-safety, IPAWS-level incident messaging because IPAWS has federal criteria; Doppler is intended for public-works notifications (water/sewer maintenance, road closures, weather or transportation hiccups) and for opt-in communications. He also noted Doppler would provide a staffed call/triage center (vendor personnel in the U.S., Moss said) and a dispatch-like workflow, including clock-in/clock-out and overtime/tracking features that would reduce manual supervisor recordkeeping.
Board questions addressed opt-in mechanics, overlap with DEM/Flash Alert, and landline vs. cell-phone messaging. Moss said Doppler's geolocation feature is an opt-in service and that if a resident is not opted in they would not receive opt-in Doppler messages; conversely, emergency IPAWS/DEM messages that meet federal criteria would reach affected households regardless of Doppler opt-in status. He also said Doppler's service is unlimited by message blocks (unlike some other services that sell message "blocks"). Moss told the board he intends to bring a formal procurement or contract recommendation to a future Monday meeting so the board can consider the $30,000-per-year option.
Why it matters: a geotargeted, opt-in messaging system with triage could improve situational awareness for public-works crews and residents and reduce supervisor administrative burden. It also raises choices about how the county balances an opt-in public communications channel with DEM-managed, coverage-focused emergency alerts.
Ending: Moss will prepare a formal procurement package and present it to the board at a future Monday meeting for a decision.
