Four West Shore municipalities are partnering with the Capital Regional District (CRD) for the use of their Emergency Response Management System.
Langford, Colwood, View Royal and Highlands are involved in the West Shore Alert initiative which will allow residents of those communities to be notified in the case of a safety incident such as wildfire, tsunami or evacuation notice.
The alerts are in addition to the public alert system from the provincial and federal governments.
Alerts will be sent via e-mail and text message as well as through the communityB次元官网网址檚 regular channels such as websites and social media.
READ MORE: Did you get the message? Canada tests its emergency alert system
Sandra Russell, a spokesperson for the City of Colwood, said the alerts can also be specified to a geographic area.
B次元官网网址淲e could send alerts just to a certain neighbourhood,B次元官网网址� Russell said. B次元官网网址淪o for example here in Colwood if there is an ocean-related alert we could send it just to Lagoon neighbourhood folks who it concerns most.B次元官网网址�
The alert system will be free of cost to residents, with municipalities covering the fees to register them for the alert system.
By partnering with the CRD, Russell said municipalities will save 30 cents per registration.
The alert system is expected to be implemented in the new year, according to Russell. Until then she said residents can rely on provincial and federal alerts for emergency notifications.
B次元官网网址淯ntil early in the new year thatB次元官网网址檚 the best way for people to get alerts about emergency events,B次元官网网址� Russell said.
Before deciding on partnering with the CRD, Russell said the City of Colwood used regular channels to get the word out and in some events, firefighters and volunteers would go door-to-door.
READ MORE: Canada to test out nation-wide emergency alert system B次元官网网址� again
B次元官网网址淎t three in the morning weB次元官网网址檇 be here in our emergency operations centre updating people online and through the meda,B次元官网网址� Russell said. B次元官网网址淭hatB次元官网网址檚 the way weB次元官网网址檝e always done it and weB次元官网网址檒l continue to do that when we have alerts in place but [the alerts] will be an additional early warning for people.B次元官网网址�
Russell said implementing the West Shore Alert System has been in conversation for quite some time. However, she said it was most evident that it was necessary last January when there was a tsunami warning in Colwood and firefighters went door-to-door to alert residents along the Lagoon to evacuate.
B次元官网网址淭hatB次元官网网址檚 when the real push began to get an alert system in place,B次元官网网址� Russell said.
shalu.mehta@goldstreamgazette.com
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