Starting August 1, 2022, the Sheriff’s Office Emergency Management Division and Consolidated Dispatch in Calhoun County will move to a new emergency notification system called Rave Alerts. Rave Alerts is a free service that allows individuals to opt-in to notifications sent from local authorities on potentially hazardous situations involving weather, traffic, and other emergencies.
Residents can receive alerts via phone, text, or email based on preferences chosen by the user. There are two ways to sign up. First, and most simply, people can text CALHOUN and/or CCTRAFFIC to 67283 in order to sign up for text alerts for emergency events and traffic alerts, respectively.
The best way to manage the notification someone receives is by creating a profile on Smart911 and downloading the Smart911 app. Smart911 is owned by the same company as Rave Alerts. On the Smart911 profile, users can choose how they want to receive notifications (voice, text, and/or email) and which notifications to receive (emergency, weather, and/or traffic alerts).
Rave Alerts was chosen because there is important new functionality to this program, and there is greater opportunity countywide, with the ability to target alerts to a specific geographic area. The system is also connected to the Integrated Public Alert & Warning System, which allows these agencies to send emergency notifications directly to phones if necessary. Additionally, other agencies from within Calhoun County will soon be able to work with Dispatch to use this service for their own communications, as well.
“Our emergency response functions in Calhoun County are coordinated to be able to best serve our community in case disaster strikes,” said Sheriff Steve Hinkley. “This is the service our emergency professionals will use for critical communication with the public. Rave Alerts provides individuals with the information needed to stay safe or take precautions during hazardous or emergency situations.”
Smart911 and Rave Alerts are owned by the same company; Smart911 offers additional services. In addition to managing one’s emergency notifications, Smart911 allows users to create a Safety Profile for their household that can include any information they may want dispatch and first responders to have in the event of an emergency. With a Smart911 profile, users information will immediately display on the dispatcher’s screen, which saves critical seconds and even minutes in response to an emergency.
