HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Officials announced Tuesday that both Hutchinson and Reno County are now working with Everbridge — the worldwide leader in unified critical communications — to keep residents, staff and emergency personnel safe and informed with quick and reliable emergency notifications and public service announcements.
Effective March 1, Hutchinson and Reno County will begin using the Everbridge Resident Alerts to communicate with citizens and businesses during emergencies and other critical events.
This system will replace the CivicReady system that was used previously. Residents who were registered on CivicReady will now have to register on the new Everbridge system.
Residents are encouraged to register immediately to receive these alerts: https://member.everbridge.net/index/453003085617923#/login
The Everbridge emergency notification system will be used to alert residents about a variety of events, ranging from fires, floods, public safety emergencies, and other emergencies, to more routine announcements, such as road closures and water utility maintenance. Messages will be sent to residents on their preferred contact paths — cell phone, SMS, home phone, email, fax, pager and more — to ensure real-time access to potentially lifesaving information. Residents listed in the Hutchinson/Reno County 911 database (landline telephones) will be subscribed to alerts by phone in the near future, but Everbridge allows citizens to self-register, provide additional contact information, or opt out.
Officials recognize the need to ensure public safety, community awareness and emergency response. To uphold this, when critical information and public service announcements are available, officials need to reach residents as quickly and reliably as possible. The new emergency notification system allows Hutchinson and Reno County to disseminate this information across all types of devices, ensuring residents have access to real-time public information when they need it the most.
The emergency notification system will not be linking to alerts from the National Weather Service. There are other avenues available to receive reliable weather information. These options include: local news, the internet, a variety of smart phone applications, weather radios, etc.
“A resilient, comprehensive critical communications system is an essential tool for Hutchinson and Reno County to be able to notify thousands of residents and businesses rapidly and efficiently,” Jaime Ellertson, CEO of Everbridge, said. “Everbridge is proud to have been selected by Hutchinson and Reno County as a critical component of its public safety and emergency response program.”