County launches "ALERT Spokane" self-registration campaign

SPOKANE COUNTY — Spokane County has launched a public safety campaign, urging the public to register their cell phones, VoIP phones, and email addresses in the ALERT Spokane system.

Spokane County Commissioner Todd Mielke said in a news release that the system draws from a database of landline telephone numbers, but cell phones must be self-registered.

“When ALERT Spokane is activated, the system sends a recorded message that explains the type of emergency and what actions to take,” he said. “However, if you rely on a cell phone or Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone (Comcast, Vonage, XO Communications, etc.), you would not have received the recorded message — unless you had already self-registered those phone numbers in the ALERT Spokane system.”

Mielke added that, “The ALERT system has been activated three times in the past three months. It’s an important part of the county’s emergency communication services, but it’s only as effective as the contact information it contains.”

At the Oct. 6 announcement of the registration campaign, Mielke was joined by Brian Schaeffer, assistant fire chief for the city of Spokane, who explained how ALERT Spokane was used to notify residents within a half-mile of the hazardous chemical spill on Interstate 90 at Stateline, Idaho on Sept. 14. Spokane County Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich and Spokane Police Chief Frank Straub also recounted how the system is an important tool for law enforcement and is used to keep the public safe.

Mielke concluded by emphasizing the small number of cell phones that are in the system, which as of Oct. 1 numbered less than 3,700 out of the county’s 480,000 residents, that had self-registered.

“We, as a community, need to do better,” Mielke said.

Spokane County, working in partnership with other jurisdictions, law enforcement, fire service and emergency management, is leading the month-long public safety campaign and urging citizens to self-register their cell phones, VoIP phones, and email addresses with the ALERT Spokane system at http://www.alertspokane.org.