Harris County and Fort Bend County joined the City of Houston to announce a major step in public safety – providing alerts to citizens with only a cellphone, instead of a traditional land-line. New, “next generation” technology can now send localized emergency alerts to cell and Internet phones, but only if residents register their phones online at www.911.org.
Residents who rely on cell or Internet phones for communication, will not be contacted if a local emergency occurs unless they register — prior to now only landline (home or work) phones are in the 9-1-1 alerting system. The alerting service is free, and only standard talk and text charges will apply if and when a citizen receives an emergency
notification.
Registration is Quick, Easy, and Free.
Those who want to receive alerts can visit 911.org and click the sign up button (left). They will be guided through the process to complete the form, and will be offered answers to “frequently asked questions.” Information needed to register: name, address (must be within GHC service area), phone number, email address. Information is used only by public safety agencies to alert residents.
How the Service Works
Examples of “localized” emergencies include hazardous material spills, dangerous persons in the area, missing persons, or life-threatening weather.
This service is provided by GHC 9-1-1 to all public safety agencies (fire, police) within the jurisdictions in the GHC service area. The agencies/jurisdictions decide when to send an alert and also decide which people in their service areas need to know about the emergency. Residents will not receive an alert if they are not in the affected area. The service is a supplement to (not a replacement for) public safety warnings and information conveyed over TV, radio and other services.
“It is important to have every tool in place to reach our community in the event of local emergency,” said GHC 9-1-1 Director Lavergne Schwender. “GHC 9-1-1 wants to ensure that our jurisdictions have the ability to contact residents on whatever type of phone they are using.”