2009 News

January 30, 2009

Bucks County Emergency Management Agency to Migrate Community Alert Network (CAN) to ReadyNotifyPA
Alert Enhancement to be Effective February 1

The Board of Bucks County Commissioners, in conjunction with the county Emergency Services Division/Emergency Management Agency (EMA),  are committed to providing the most comprehensive notification possible in the event of a storm, widespread power outage, water emergency or other public-safety threatening condition.

To that end, the EMA will discontinue use of its Community Alert Network (CAN) in favor of the wider-reaching, more cost-effective ReadyNotifyPA, effective Feb. 1. ReadyNotifyPA is a system that helps local officials in Southeastern Pennsylvania to send emergency text alerts and other important notifications to you quickly. This shift will allow the public to maximize its ability to receive timely, critical updates via land line, cell phone and e-mail.  The county has migrated CAN registrants over to ReadyNotifyPA, but urges Bucks Countians to register for the system so that up-to-date contact information can be confirmed and saved in the system.

According to Bucks County Emergency Services Director John Dougherty, the CAN system – which targeted specific areas of risk (such as the low-lying areas adjacent to the Neshaminy Creek) – experienced difficulty maintaining updated phone numbers of residents and businesses. “My concern was that people would not get notified when we used their system,” Dougherty noted. “We have monitored the situation closely, and we feel that ReadyNotifyPA is a superior notification tool.”

“Just as we have with the CAN system, we will continue to work with emergency officials at all levels to keep the public updated as to the status of emergency situations,” Commissioner Chairman Charles H. Martin commented. “ReadyNotifyPA already has had a significant regional impact on emergency notification. As we have seen during recent winter weather events, it has the ability to quickly distribute real-time information.”

Chairman Martin urges Bucks County residents and business owners to sign up for ReadyNotifyPA. The Web link to participate is: www.readynotifypa.org. Simply click on the Bucks County logo to register. You can also text the county code BUCKS to the number 411911 or quick-text alerts to your cell phone. It’s easy, and it could save your life!