Wildfires, severe weather, missing people and other emergencies happen in summer. Critical alerts help residents stay aware and safe. Ada County is updating its system.
The recent Claremont Fire in the Boise Foothills shows how emergencies, like wildfires can occur at any moment.
“We can also use this alert system for pretty much anything that rises to the level of an emergency where people need to know, like active shooters, missing vulnerable adults, those types of things,” said Ada County Sheriff Matt Clifford.
He encourages people to sign up now and not wait for an emergency. “It costs you nothing and it is better for your safety and the safety of others.”
Ada Alert, the new emergency notification system, replaces the previous system, CodeRed, which had a data breach in December. “The last system you had to create an account and a lot of people are put off by that because they don't want to create an account with a company for a service that they're supposed to be getting for free.”
Clifford says the new system is easier and faster for dispatchers to inform the public of critical information. He said Instagram and Facebook are the fastest platforms to stay informed. "A lot of times we'll push that same information out to the media or the media will catch it off our social media.”
