Let's say you are a police chief in a small U.S. city wanting to set up a system of high tech communications that could help you respond more effectively to a terrorist attack or natural disaster.

Where would you go to collect practical information on the best hardware and software for emergency operations?

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Boston? San Francisco?

Try Dyersburg.

This week emergency services personnel representing 6 counties and 10 cities in the region came to the Emergency Operations Center on Harrell Avenue to study the high-tech accomplishments of Dyersburg. According to a Memphis consulting firm that specializes in helping government agencies respond to emergencies, Dyersburg is "one of the most progressive cities in Tennessee" when it comes to communications technology and emergency preparedness. In fact, the city has accomplished something that has, to date at least, not been done anywhere else in the country. It has interfaced software provided by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for a disaster involving hazardous chemicals with a unique mapping program that instantly allows local police to plot the safest escape routes for citizens. With concern mounting in Washington over terrorist attacks involving a chemical weapon, the federal government has requested information on the interfacing of the two programs to see if it has nationwide application.

Tommy Gibbons, coordinator of emergency services for Dyersburg, said he has begun taking calls from cities and small towns across the country looking to improve their emergency services in the wake of 9-11.

"They don't want to reinvent the wheel, so to speak," Gibbons said. "They want to know what has worked for us and what hasn't."

The regional meeting this week was one of those "fishing expeditions" by other municipalities and county governments. Emergency personnel came from as far away as Jonesboro, Ark. and Middle Tennessee. The meeting focused on the heart of Dyersburg's emergency operations, the Geographical Information System (GIS) maps. GIS computer maps allow city personnel to find every water line, gas line, gas valve or fire hydrant on any street in the city with amazing accuracy.

"By going to the digital maps in the EOC building, we can locate every gas pipe or water line in the city and know their sizes and locations," Gibbons said. "It does away with blueprints and papers. We can look at a computer screen and see where a valve is located to within two inches." This allows firemen to quickly locate a hydrant or a valve that might be used to shut off gas flow in the event of a ruptured distribution line.

"Every department in the city can use this," Gibbons said. "City departments use the GIS on a daily basis to locate pipes and valves. It isn't just for emergency operations."

The interfacing of the EPA's "Cameo" software with GIS mapping was actually "trail blazing" in the field of emergency management. The Cameo software was given to the city about five years ago, and Dyersburg saw advantages of merging this with the GIS maps of the region. But many computer technicians said it was a waste of effort. The merger simply could not be done.

Cameo was designed primarily for emergencies involving chemical spills. By taking wind directions and weather conditions into account it would calculate the approximate direction and expansion of a chemical plume that poses a hazard. Working with a Memphis computer consulting firm, Dyersburg incorporated it into the GIS map of the area, allowing local police and firemen to determine which homes in the area had to be evacuated and which roads would make the safest escape routes.

"We were told at first it couldn't be done," Gibbons said. "But we found a way working with the consultant. According to the EPA, no one in the country has done this, so they are taking a look at it now to see if they can put it out."

The Cameo-GIS merger has the ability to save precious time in the event of a major emergency. Gibbons said he can send maps and photos of a catastrophic event to state and federal emergency management personnel via email before they arrive in Dyersburg, making them aware of the magnitude and nature of the problem.

"We can give them real time information while they are still en route, if they have the ability to receive digital information," he said.

"What has made this thing fly is the support of the city administration and all of the department heads. They have come on board and supported it 100 percent."