Chilton EMA promotes new emergency device
Published 4:03 pm Thursday, November 12, 2015
By Ashley Burks | Special to the Advertiser
The Chilton County Emergency Management Agency has started using a new mobile app to keep residents in the county informed.
Chilton County EMA Director, Derrick Wright, said the county has been using the Ping4Alerts! app for three weeks and encourages Chilton County residents to download the app to remain informed.
The general welcome page for the new emergency app the Chilton County Emergency Management Agency has started using.
Ping4Alerts! allows city and county agencies to instantly alert residents of dangers and emergencies in the area.
“The app has been around for years, but we’re just now implementing it in Chilton County,” Wright said. “We haven’t had any problems with the app, and it allows us to send out general information to our residents. It’s a way to keep people informed and to keep the people safe.”
Ping4alerts! is a free iOS and Android app that uses the latest location-based technology to deliver a notification to mobile devices within a highly localized area. Through a web-based application, Chilton County EMA and local officials can draw a shape on a map as small as a street block or as large as the county to push an emergency notification.
“The mobile app not only gives general information for a specific area, it also allows specific alert notifications for road closures, weather alerts, amber alerts, BOLO’s, and access to the sheriff’s office and Clanton Police Department,” Wright said. Although Chilton County is not the first to use the app, it’s still a good way for the Chilton County EMA and multiple agencies to notify residents concurrently.
A screenshot of the settings menu allows users to choose alert options.
Being able to push out alerts and notifications even while residents are on the go is very important.
“Most of the time people are on the roads and for the most part people are using apps, and they can be notified no matter where they are. If a tornado siren doesn’t work, this app can give them the weather alert,” Wright said. The app also allows users to send out tips to local law enforcement while remaining anonymous.
The free app is available for the public to download in the iPhone App store and the Google Play store. To access the Ping4Alerts!, download onto your mobile device. Once your download is complete, click on the settings tab to set up your locations and desired alert options.
For more information, contact Chilton County EMA at (205) 755-0900.
