Saskatoon launches citywide "Notify Now" emergency alerts

Saskatoon hopes to get more than 60 per cent of people in the city signed upfor city-wideemergency alerts.

The mayor joined Saskatoon'sfire chief, and emergency planners Monday inlaunching the new "Notify Now" system.The city and several other agencies spent $35,000 on the software, designed to send residents up-to-the-minute alerts.

Ray Unrau, Saskatoon'sDirector of EmergencyPlanning, said it's meant for "recurring or escalating situations that can affect public safety."

He said NotifyNowis an ideal way to transmit information quickly during events including snowstorms, hazardous material spills, or mass evacuations.

Its launch comes two months after residents criticizedcity officials for not providing up-to-date information duringa Sunday evening power outage that knocked out electricity for thousands of people during some of thiswinter's coldest weather. Officials said the system would also have assisted during a severe blizzard in 2007.

Subscribers wanted

The city has added 79,000 phone numbers listed in this year'sSaskTel white pages to its automated system, which can send out voice-mails.But officialssaythousands more people are more likely to see a text message or an e-mail in an emergency.

"Now we need to get people to come on board," said fire chief DanPaulsen. "Many people aren't even in the phone books. So I mean these are just different ways that we can actually communicate to individuals. Whether they're at home or not."

During sign-up, subscribers are asked what communicationmethod they prefer to use.

NotifyNowsubscribers are also asked to give the City of Saskatoon their address. Officials say in the event of a localized emergency, such as a chemical spill, or a power outage, they can send targeted messages to subscribers in specificneighbourhoods.

The software also allows emergency officials to track the number of subscribers who've received and opened the message, and plan accordingly.

Unrausaidresidents can expectacitywide test ofNotifyNowduring the month of May.