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Province revamps emergency alert system

The Alberta government’s newest tool to keep Albertans safe is one they hope they never have to use.

The Alberta government’s newest tool to keep Albertans safe is one they hope they never have to use.

The province’s municipal affairs ministry launched a revamped Alberta Emergency Alert system in June, and kicked off an awareness campaign in late July that urged Albertans to “Stop, Listen and Respond” in radio, print, television and movie theatre ads.

Municipal affairs spokesperson John Muir said changes include a new name and a new logo, and he hopes the awareness campaign will educate Albertans to recognize the logo and react to the alerts accordingly.

But the biggest change is a switch from analog to digital broadcasting, which should help them keep pace with technology.

“On some of the TV stations they’re advertising that things like rabbit ears will no longer work; they’re moving to a digital signal. So we’ve moved to keep up with that technology.”

They’ve also moved to take advantage of social media, like Facebook and Twitter, to get their messages out further and faster.

“They can get information from the website directly, hear the alert themselves and read more about precautions they should take,” Muir said.

Since June, there have been eight alerts sent out on the new system, including warnings about possible tornadoes, high water levels, roadway closures and inoperative 911 service.

So far the feedback has been positive and traffic on the system’s website has increased dramatically when alerts are issued, Muir said.

St. Albert Fire Services chief Ray Richards is a fan of the new system, saying it’s easy to use and the number of people it can reach is phenomenal.

“This is going to be marvellous,” he said. “We’ve had some training on how to use the system, and it’s going to be a very good new tool for us to use.”

While the provincial government owns and maintains the system, it’s officials like Richards at the municipal level who can trigger alerts, something he said is crucial.

“For things that are local, we know the names of the streets, we know the city. It’s going to be so much easier to get good clear messaging out, which is so important in times of emergency,” he said.

The new emergency alert system also encompasses Amber Alerts, which are issued to send out information about missing and possibly abducted children. There was one Amber Alert sent out in July when a young boy was thought to be abducted from southeast Edmonton.

“It just adds to that awareness and allows us to target, with our broadcast partners, how far to put that warning out,” Muir said.

He added that the system is also designed to work in concert with personal emergency preparedness precautions, and that every Albertan should have a 72-hour survival kit and a “ready-to-go” kit for use in case of evacuation.

Alberta’s emergency public warning system was first established in 1992 in response to the tornado that tore through Edmonton in 1987. This was one of the first updates to the system since then.

You can follow the Alberta emergency alert system on Twitter at @AB_EmergAlert and “Like” it on Facebook at www.facebook.com/abemergalert. More information on the system is available at www.emergencyalert.alberta.ca.

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