HELENA — During emergency disasters, emergency services need a quick way to get in contact with as many people as possible. And our phones are that ticket. Smart 911 is an easy and direct way to get up-to-date information from emergency services.
“We have integrated dispatch. So, City of Helena, Lewis and Clark County, we all use the same system, goes out, is utilized by fire, law enforcement. Everybody is working together on it,” says Kyle Sturgill-Simon, Lewis and Clark County Emergency Manager.
The RAVE Alert system is Lewis and Clark County’s official emergency alert notification system. It’s a way to get phone calls, text messages, email, and Facebook posts during an emergency.
This is an essential way to stay up-to-date with officials during potentially life-threatening situations. The way you sign up for such alerts is by visiting Lewis and Clark County’s website and visiting their Emergency Management Tab, following that to their Emergency Notification – Smart 911 tab, and visiting smart911.com and following the prompts to input your information.
This emergency alert system was used during the Horse Gulch Fire.
“So, these are emergency alerts. We use them for evacuation warnings or orders, law enforcement issues in the area that people may need to shelter in place for, things along those lines that are going to be an immediate risk to life and property,” says Sturgill-Simon.
Signing up for this can help save precious time during emergency situations, says Sturgill-Simon.
“During emergency we don't always have as much time as we would like and we're trying to protect life, safety, and property. So, the earlier we can get these alerts out to the population and the quicker they can start acting on them, the better. If you miss the message because you're not signed up and you have to hear it from a neighbor, you might have missed valuable time,” says Sturgill-Simon.
