Union County launches UCFirst Alert
Connecting state and local government leaders
Union County, N.J. has launched an emergency notification system that sends text messages to the public in an emergency.
Union County, N.J. has launched an emergency notification system that sends text messages to the public in an emergency.
The UCFirstAlert notification system is a county-wide emergency text and voice messaging system that will communicate critical information to first responders and the public during a crisis. It is based on Cooper Notification’s Roam Secure Alert Network (RSAN).
The launch was announced at the Union County Emergency Operations Center in Westfield, N.J.
UCFirstAlert lets city and county officials send e-mail, text and voice messages to first responders and more than 500,000 citizens via cell phones, pagers, computers and other mass notification media during an emergency, Cooper Notification officials said. Alerts can be sent simultaneously to all of these devices, providing redundant communications for first responders and increasing the likelihood that each resident will receive the message no matter where they are located.
For the special needs community, UCFirstAlert offers emergency message delivery via Telecommunications Device for the Deaf/Teletypewriter without pre-registration or administrative configuration.
Union County residents can sign up for UCFirstAlert for free by texting UNION to 411911 on their cell phone or visiting www.UCFirstAlert.org.
Through UCFirstAlert.org, users can customize their subscriptions and choose the types of alerts they want to receive such as severe weather bulletins, traffic notifications, AMBER alerts and crime information.
The public can also receive general news and event information, including event details for county parks and local government updates, officials said. For more comprehensive coverage, subscribers can also select multiple municipalities to stay abreast of activity in the communities in which they live, work and visit.
Through the Roam Secure Information eXchange (RSIX), Union County and its municipalities can share real-time daily information and emergency messages with each other as well as other government agencies or regional RSAN systems.