Subscribe to EverBridge to get notified of emergencies, critical events in Oak Ridge
The city of Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge Fire Department, and Oak Ridge Police Department are launching a new notification system for the city to be able to better communicate with residents and businesses during emergencies and other critical events.
Everbridge will replace the Fire Department’s CodeRED emergency alert system and the Police Department’s Nixle traffic alerts. If you were previously subscribed to either notification system, you are encouraged to sign up for Everbridge Alerts so you can edit your preferences on the types of alerts you wish to receive, according to a news release.
The city will use Everbridge to alert residents who have registered about a variety of events, including severe weather, road closures, traffic incidents, or major power outages.
“In a matter of seconds, thousands of Oak Ridge residents and businesses will be able to know about emergencies and incidents as they happen," Oak Ridge Police Chief Robin Smith said in the release.
Messages will be sent to registered users on their preferred contact paths - cell phone, SMS, home phone or email, push notification via the Everbridge app - to ensure real-time access to potentially lifesaving information.
“Combining the two programs, ORFD’s CodeRED and ORPD’s Nixle, makes it easier for people to know they’re going to get notified when something happens and they won’t miss important information by only being subscribed to one of the systems and not both,” Lauren Gray, Oak Ridge senior communications specialist, said. “This provides people with one place to get all of their alerts.”
In order to receive Everbridge emergency alerts from the city of Oak Ridge, residents and businesses must register at www.oakridgetn.gov/notifications. Registering contact information takes minutes and is the only way to ensure contact in an emergency.
“The Oak Ridge Fire Department will send critical messages through the system and, just like our previous service, automatic National Weather Service (NWS) severe weather notifications will also be distributed,” said Oak Ridge Fire Chief Travis Solomon. “If you were getting notifications before from our previous service, you should have received the direct link to subscribe to the new Everbridge alerts.”
All registrants of the city's CodeRED system and Nixle program received a notification with Everbridge registration instructions. For questions or more information, visit www.oakridgetn.gov/notifications.
This article originally appeared on Oakridger: Subscribe to EventBridge to get notified of emergencies in Oak Ridge
