The District of Squamish (D.O.S.) has announced a new emergency alert system for residents. The system requires residents to sign-up for free online so that they can be contacted via text, phone or e-mail in the event of an emergency.

You can store your critical information on the system such as your contact details and medical requirements, and then share that with friends, relatives and organizations securely.

The alert system could be used to advise residents in a number of ways e.g. to stay indoors in the event of toxic smoke, or even evacuate if needed. District of Squamish Mayor Patricia Heintzman says; “As an ocean-side mountain community, we are characterized by an incredibly dynamic landscape which comes with a responsibility to be prepared for community emergencies”.

The emergency system is a joint partnership between D.O.S. and Squamish Nation that uses the ePACT network. Based in North Vancouver ePACT aims to connect organizations and communities during a crisis and is currently already being used by the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District, as well as throughout the country.

Christine Sommers, CEO & Co-Founder of the ePACT Network says they’re no ordinary alert system. “We’re a little bit more than a mass notification system and Squamish District and Squamish Nation have been incredibly innovative in the way that they’ve rolled out our system, because what they’ve done is said; we’re going to work across communities and use this system to not just communicate but also flag if there are vulnerable people who need additional support…”.

An evacuation exercise is being planned for Squamish in mid-October.

Residents can sign-up for ‘SquamishAlert’ or ‘Squamish Nation Alert’ at the following link: http://squamish.ca/our-services/emergency-program/alert/

Filed under: Emergency Alert, News, Squamish