Advisory | Follow up from Regional District-wide Alertable notification on May 30th 2022.

The Strathcona Regional District (SRD) is reminding all residents and visitors:

• If you own a cellphone, and are connected to a wireless network, please take a moment to download the Alertable App (Emergency Mass Notification Service).
• Please program the number 1-855-756-1140 into your phone under ‘SRD Emergency Notifications’ since Alertable will always contact you from this number.
• If you have not signed up to receive emergency notifications, please do so at www.srd.ca/alerts-notifications

The May 30^th, 2022 Telus/Koodo 9-1-1 Service Disruption was considered an Advisory due to the fact that only one provider was cut off from accessing 9-1-1. Had multiple 9-1-1 access sources been disrupted this would have been upgraded to a Critical Alert (see definitions below).

Alertable notifications were sent out to 6,200 emails, 7,000 SMS Text Messages, 2,400 App Notifications, and 1,700 Phone Calls in the Regional District on May 30th.

If community members had an account with SRD’s previous Connect Rocket notification system, then it was automatically transferred over to Alertable:

• If a phone number was identified as being a cell phone, that number was set up to receive SMS text messages for all notifications, regardless of the level (Critical, Advisory, etc).
• If the phone number was identified as being a landline, or there was no type entered for the number at all, then it was set up to receive phone call notifications (again for all levels).

A mobile or landline phone number can either be contacted via SMS or phone call. If you have a cellphone, Alertable will either call or text you, not both.

“Staff at Alertable have found through experience that if someone signed up and selected cell phone, then they usually prefer an SMS text message. This also aligns with the mobile phone carrier’s best practices for emergency messages” said Shaun Koopman, SRD Protective Services Coordinator.  “During an emergency, when thousands of alerts need to be sent, SMS delivery is usually more reliable and stable since it uses much fewer wireless network resources, whereas voice call circuits quickly fill up and the mobile phone carriers can’t deliver those calls. If you would like to change this setting so your cellphone will be called for an Advisory instead of an SMS text, please email Alertable staff at info@peasi.com. 

For more information about Alertable – SRD’s emergency mass notification service, please visit www.srd.ca/alerts-notifications

Definitions:

Critical Alerts – provide necessary information when there is an immediate and threatening danger. Possible Critical Alert scenarios include an Evacuation Order or an active shooter.

Advisories – provide information to the public to help them prepare for a possible emergency or other events that could affect life safety. Examples include an Evacuation Alert, boil water advisory, or incoming extreme weather events. This might include the same types of events that would result in a Critical Alert, but an Advisory might be sent beforehand to prepare, or after when there is important response and recovery information. The most common use of Alertable will be to send out Advisories. Critical Alerts are indicated by the colour red on the Alertable App, whereas Advisories are indicated by the colour yellow.

App-only Notifications – Some types of notifications may only be sent through the mobile App. These include events that do not immediately concern life safety or require immediate protective actions to be taken. Examples include a wildfire that is not threatening structures or critical infrastructure when a primary arterial road is closed such as the recent Grant Bay Road closure on Quadra Island.

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Media contact: Shaun Koopman, SRD Protective Services Coordinator, 250-830-6702 | skoopman@srd.ca

Established in 2008, SRD serves Campbell River, Gold River, Ka:’yu:’k’t’h’/Che:k:tles7et’h’, Sayward, Tahsis, Zeballos and four electoral areas: A (Kyuquot/Nootka-Sayward), B (Cortes Island), C (Discovery Islands-Mainland Inlets), and D (Oyster Bay-Buttle Lake).                                                                                               

The Strathcona Regional District respectfully acknowledges it’s located on the Coast Salish, Kwakwaka’wakw, and Nuu-chah-nulth traditional territories.