| CNET : News : Year 2000 : Story |
Although details are still in the
works, the system will send out early warnings if failures in the
nation's emergency services occur, one staffer said. In an effort
to get the early warning system off the ground as soon as
possible, the committee hopes to have the legislation in Congress
by next week.
Tomorrow's hearing will be the first congressional examination of
the institutions responsible for public safety as to their
preparation and readiness for Year 2000. The committee will
assess the readiness and ability of governments at the federal,
state, and local levels to continue to provide vital emergency
services related to the Year 2000.
Up to now, most examinations of emergency services have been happening on the state level. One of the most covered in the media was the one conducted by the state of New York.
State Comptroller H. Carl McCall conducted a
study and put out a report last month that found few New York
State localities are prepared to tackle the sorts of computer
problems posed by the Year 2000 bug.
"Jail security systems, 911 emergency systems, payroll, even
traffic lights depend on technologies which must be checked and
rechecked to ensure they are working properly for the Year 2000,"
he said in a statement during the release of the report.
His
auditors, who surveyed the localities, found that while 100
percent of the counties who answered the survey were working on
the problem, 26 percent of cities, 54 percent of towns, and 48
percent of villages had yet to make plans. Further 61 percent of
fire districts had not yet dealt with the problem.
On the other hand, Pennsylvania has completed more than 95
percent Y2K remediation efforts, which includes its public safety
and emergency services, according to estimates released by the
state in July.
Because software manufacturers, to save space, used only the last two digits to mark the year, at the turn of the century computers may mistakenly read the year 2000 as a meaningless "00" or 1900. That could cause computers to malfunction or shut down.
The committee will also examine the role of FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) in coordinating execution of the federal response plan, as well as threats to all public safety communications links and other information technology--vital computerized dispatch of 911, fire and law enforcement responses, and emergency service records, according to a statement released by the committee today.
As an
indication of how important the issue is to the committee as well
as the Clinton administration, John Koskinen, the chairman on the
President's Council on Year 2000
Conversion,
will be the first panelist at the hearing tomorrow.
Koskinen is expected to discuss the council's role in developing
contingency plans with federal agencies and how the government
will respond
to outside threats, according to a spokesman from the President's
council.
In related news, a new report released today by the
Organization for Economic
Cooperation and Development warns of global economic
vulnerabilities to the Year2000 problem, and urges governments to
play a stronger role in promoting international cooperation,
awareness, and action to deal with the technology problem.
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