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Strathcona Regional District switching emergency alert service

Users with an account on the previous system will have their info transferred to Alertable
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Strathcona Regional District is switching to Alertable for public mmergency notifications as of May 2, 2022. Photo by Marc Kitteringham/ Campbell River Mirror

The Strathcona Regional District will be switching its emergency mass notification service on May 2.

But users of the last system need not be too concerned. Everyone with accounts will have their information automatically transferred to the new system, Alertable.

Those without accounts, are being encouraged to set one up at www.srd.ca/alerts-notifications after May 2.

“Information is a vital form of aid in itself. Disaster-affected people need information as much as water, food, medicine, or shelter. Information can save lives, livelihoods, and resources. This is why the Regional District is switching to Alertable as our public emergency mass notification service,” said SRD Chair Brad Unger. “Our previous system would call landlines, call cellphones, and text cellphones. That feature will not change, however, Alertable provides additional ways to notify people when protective actions need to be taken”.

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The SRD is requiring one action from users. The phone number which will call them in the event of an emergency is changing.

On May 2, everyone who had an account with Connect Rocket will receive a welcome message from Alertable. They are being advised to save the number in their phones under SRD Emergency Notification.

For example, alerts can also be sent via mobile app with an “Override Silent Mode” feature for critical alerts, website, Facebook, Twitter, Amazon Alexa, Apple Homepod and Google Nest, Slack, Microsoft Teams, and more.

The Alertable apps are free and can be downloaded from mobile phones, tablets, computers, or smart speakers. “Downloading the app provides you with access to these extra features” said Shaun Koopman, SRD protective services coordinator. “It is not mandatory though, even without the app you will still receive a phone call and a text message”.

Alertable is the only commercial emergency alerting platform that is fully integrated with Canada’s national public alert system, Alert Ready. People with smartphones that are not compatible with Alert Ready’s new wireless alerting can still be notified with Alertable. For those that do have compatible phones, Alertable still provides a way to receive a wireless alert when away from home or work. Alertable will cover every community in the SRD, exactly the same way the previous system did.

For more information about SRD’s alerts and notifications, please visit www.srd.ca/alerts-notifications



editor@campbellrivermirror.com

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