Hailey Heseltine
ECB Publishing, Inc.
When preparing to face a crisis, every second counts. That is why it is so important that timely and effective emergency alerts reach everyone before the crisis reaches them. Emergency alerts do not just notify us about an existing hazard, they help us to prepare for disasters so we can act fast. Getting the time to take decisive action when faced with a crisis saves lives and reduces property losses, lessening the overall impact of the disaster on our homes, our community and our lives.
In Jefferson County, Paula Carroll, director of the Emergency Management Office, uses Everbridge (Nixle), a social network text messaging system, to reach people who wish to be informed of local hazards. A more in-depth public broadcasting system that is used is IPAWS (Integrated Public Alerting and Warning System).
To participate and to receive severe weather details and updates and other pertinent information from the Sheriff's Office and Emergency Management via your cellular phone or email, you must have text messaging enabled on your phone. To receive Nixle on your cell phone from the Jefferson County Alert System, text 32344 to 888777, or visit nixle.com on your computer and sign up with either or both your cell phone number and your email address. Standard carrier rates apply. For more information about Nixle, contact Emergency Management at (850) 342-0211. You can also learn more about IPAWS by visiting fema.gov/ipaws.
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