Why reverse-911 calls showed as 'spam' for Nakia Creek Fire

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) -- As the Level 3 "Go Now" evacuation orders were put in place for residents near the Nakia Creek Fire near Larch Mountain, some reverse-911 calls were being flagged as "spam" or coming from a Oak Harbor, a city north of Seattle.

Eric Frank with the Clark Regional Emergency Services Agency (CRESA) told KOIN 6 News they are looking at changing the way they use an automated service, Everbridge, so that issue does not happen again.

If CRESA uses a local number as the Caller ID, Frank said, that disables a feature that allows people to call that number back and listen to the recorded message they may have missed.

The callback feature is enabled only when using an out-of-area number.

Frank said they now realize that caused confusion and some people to miss the warning and they are looking for a solution. He added many other local counties use the same automated Everbridge system.