During this pandemic and wildfire season, it's important that we all get timely notifications from the County's Community Warning System (CWS). To make sure that CWS alerts get through to your phone, please follow the instructions in this email to change a few phone settings.
The caller ID number for CWS alerts has changed to 925-655-0195. Previously, the number that showed up on your phone was 000-000-0000.
Some of us knew that a phone call from 000-000-0000 was a CWS alert, and we would answer our phone immediately. Some of us block calls from unknown or new numbers, and might block alerts from this new number. To avoid this, it's important to make sure your phone recognizes the new number in your settings.
While the CWS system has not changed and you will get alerts as needed, I want to make sure we can all get alerts with the new number.
To make sure you receive a CWS alert:
- Add the new number (925-655-0195) as a new contact in your mobile device and label it as "Community Warning System".
- Assign or add this new contact to your FAVORITIES or EMERGENCY BYPASS.
These steps should stop your phone from identifying the new number as spam or silencing it if your "Do Not Disturb" feature is on.
I know this is confusing information to take in when we're in the middle of unhealthy smoky air, nearby fires, and a pandemic. But this change is not an emergency in itself! The alert system is working!
Please adjust your phone to recognize the new number.
I'm proud of the County's Community Warning System which sends alerts to affected neighborhoods during emergencies such as fires, earthquakes, or industrial accidents or incidents.
Alerts are automatically sent to all landlines.
But alerts are not automatically sent to cell phones. You must register your cell phone first. To register your phone go to the CWS webpage, and follow the prompts. This information is in English and in Spanish. Alerts are sent as text messages and calls.
I strongly urge everyone to do this. Our well wishes are with our neighbors in surrounding communities who have been affected by fire and our thanks go out to all firefighters and other first responders, who are working hard to keep us all safe.
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