In January, local EMA Director and Baldwin Fire Chief Troy Reynolds addressed the Baldwin County Commissioners about an Emergency System Grant application that would provide an emergency notification system for residents on a wide range of emergency situations that arise in Milledgeville and Baldwin County.
In August, the Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA) announced that Baldwin County was awarded a $17,012 Hazard Mitigation Grant for its Mass Alert Enhancement project.
The amount awarded includes a federal share of $12,759. The remainder will come from a state share of $1,701 and a local share of $2,552.
At a press conference on Tuesday morning, Reynolds and Baldwin Sheriff Bill Massee announced the alert system’s launch.
"We are here today to let the public know that we have our mass notification system in place now. We want to get the information out to the public about how to sign up for it," Reynolds said. "The system was funded through GEMA through a grant as part of our local hazardous mitigation plan. It was identified in the plan as a need for us to be able to get information out to the public."
The system will enable Baldwin County emergency personnel at Baldwin County Fire Rescue and the Baldwin County Sheriff's Office to provide citizens with critical information quickly, such as severe weather, unexpected road closures, missing persons, and evacuations of buildings or neighborhoods.
"This information will be instant. This system will be used to notify the public about imminent threats to health and safety as well as informational notifications that affect specific locations or work environments," Reynolds said.
The system will also be used for law enforcement to be notified about important issues going on within the area.
"We look at this as information that will benefit everybody," said Baldwin Sheriff Bill Massee. "We could have a missing child or an Alzheimer's patient walk off — we could get that information to the public right away. What we're really excited about is not only can we give information to the public but they can also respond to us and contact our 911 center, so they can give us input and assist us. We look at this as more of us being involved in the community and them also being involved with us."
When a person decides to sign up for the service, the contact information provided is protected and will not be used for any other purpose, Reynolds said.
"When we issue a notification about a potential safety hazard or concern, you will receive a message on the communication methods that you have registered. If requested for the notification, you can confirm that you have received the message and you will not be contacted by any subsequent methods regarding that particular notification," he said.
The notification system will be set up to run through the 911 center at the Baldwin County Sheriff's Office, but the service will be available to all residents in Milledgeville and Baldwin County, Reynolds added.
Signing up for the notification service is free of charge, but it requires a valid email address.
There is also an option to receive weather alerts from the National Weather Service as well.
To sign up go to member.everbridge.net/index/892807736776 or download the Everbridge app onto any mobile device.
For more information call Wayne Johnson at 478-445-3406.
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