A missed connection

Dear Editor:I am writing because I would like the Pitkin County’s Communication Department to clarify the procedures and protocols for situations using the Reverse 911 system and to inform residents that it failed me and many others in my area.I live in the employee housing at the Maroon Creek Club with my two children and recently there was a gas line cut due to construction. While several of my neighbors received calls alerting them to the dangers, my family did not. We only learned of the evacuation two days later when I had read an article in newspaper. I was shocked to have read that 2,400 residents in the area were notified. I am concerned that the Reverse 911 system, while I believe is a wonderful community service, is not working properly. If the system has flaws I would assume that the sheriff’s office should then knock on the doors of the affected homes alerting them to the danger. This did not happen either, in the neighborhood in which I live.I am concerned of what the best option for this small community is and what the protocols are in the case of an emergency evacuation of an area of town. Also, what is the procedure for making sure Reverse 911 actually reaches all of the affected residents? I have put several calls into the Pitkin County’s Communications Department but have been kept on hold for almost 20 minutes before finally having to hang up. I think as a community this needs to be addressed with the sheriff’s office to insure the safety of Aspen’s residents.Amanda VirtueAspen