Crook County launches emergency alert system

Crook County just launched an emergency alert system that uses a variety of methods to spread the news of severe weather and other emergencies, from severe weather to power outages, floods, spills or violent crimes in progress, officials said Friday.

Here’s the announcement from Crook County Emergency Manager Michael Ryan:

On September 1, 2015 the Crook County 911 Board of Directors voted to fund a Mass Notification system for Crook County.

Crook County, Crook County Fire & Rescue and the City of Prineville are now using the Everbridge Inc. Mass Notification System for Citizen Alerts to communicate with thousands of residents and businesses within minutes in the event of an emergency.

Everbridge is an industry-leading interactive communication and mass notification solutions provider that helps organizations save lives, manage critical activities and improve the efficiency of daily operations.

The system known as “Alert Crook County” went live on Tuesday, and is able to alert residents about severe weather events, power outages, floods, toxic environmental issues and in progress violent crimes.

Messages can be sent to individuals using a variety of contact mechanisms- cellphone, landline, email, text messaging, fax, pager, and more – ensuring that residents and city staff receive life-saving emergency information and important public service announcements in minutes.

Citizens listed in the 911 database will be automatically subscribed to alerts by landline. However, we strongly encourage every individual to “Opt-In” and self-register in order to provide additional contact information.

In addition, county agencies plan to use Alert Crook County to notify residents about other important activities, such as road closures, water utility maintenance and important Community meeting notices.

To Opt-In go to www.alertcrookcounty.org.