RDEK to Test Regional Evacuation Notification System Friday

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The RDEK will be testing its Regional Evacuation Notification System (ENS) this Friday and is encouraging residents who have not already done so, to sign up. 

“The notification system is only used for evacuation alerts or orders and has been implemented as an additional tool to help us get the word out as quickly as possible to affected areas when time is of the essence,” explains RDEK Communications Manager Loree Duczek. 

The RDEK has been doing a registration drive for the system and is encouraging anyone who hasn’t yet signed up to do so ahead of the region-wide test this Friday, May 10 at 2:00pm.  It is free to register and is available to all First Nations, municipalities, and rural areas of the East Kootenay.

Powered by Voyent Alert! to keep residents and property owners informed in case of evacuation orders or alerts during critical events such as wildfires, floods or hazardous materials incidents, the notification system is an important tool for residents to have, particularly as we head into the spring and summer, when flooding and wildfire are two hazards we face in the East Kootenay.

“We have noticed many people think they are part of the ENS when they receive a notification like an Amber Alert or test alert on their cellphones like the one sent today via the Provincial/National Alert Ready system.  These are two totally separate systems.  Each has an important role and unique advantages, but we can’t stress enough the importance of people registering for the Regional ENS,” adds Duczek.  

The Provincial Alert Ready system automatically sends an alert to anyone with a cellphone within a specific geographic area and will interrupt radio and tv programming for four hours after the notification is issued.  The ENS alerts people who’ve registered their property by text or with a voice call to cellphones or landlines. Further, the ENS keeps the notification active throughout the course of the evacuation alert or order; alerts homeowners who may be away or who own property here but live elsewhere; and, alerts people when an order has been rescinded,” explains Duczek.

The RDEK is also urging anyone who has signed up previously for the service to login to the system and ensure they have properly pinned their property address or addresses.

For instructions on how to check your registered location or to sign up for the service and receive notifications by phone, both to landlines and mobile phones, or via a dedicated app, visit the Emergency Information page on  www.rdek.bc.ca.