Mathews Announces New Alert System, EVERBRIDGE, to keep the Community Informed During Emergency Situations
Public Safety Officials Encourage Residents to Update Their Information in EVERBRIDGE
The County of Mathews has launched a new community alerting system called Everbridge to keep our citizens informed regarding emergency alerts, road closures, detours, weather notifications and evacuations.
The county previously utilized the Smart 911 / RAVE system; however, the decision was made to upgrade to the Everbridge system as it is used by both Gloucester and Middlesex Counties. Partnering with Everbridge serves as a benefit to Mathews County to operate under the same system as our neighboring jurisdictions. In the event Mathews County falls prey to a natural disaster; alerts can still be pushed out to our citizens from Gloucester or Middlesex County’s Communications Centers.
In order to keep all citizens informed of important alerts, please sign up for Everbridge alerts at EVERBRIDGE LINK. If you prefer to sign up in person, please visit the County Administration office to pick up a form or stop into the lobby of the Mathews County Sheriff’s Office where the forms are available for pickup 24 hours a day.
The former Smart 911 / RAVE alerting system used to allow 911 dispatchers the capability to access critical information about residents when a 911 call is made from their address or phone number. Critical information such as medical history, medications, emergency contact information, and how to access the home in an emergency was made immediately available at the time of the call and could be passed on to first responders responding to the scene. We can still sign up citizens with this same information by filling out the same form used for Smart 911. If you previously filled out a Smart 911 form and provided it to the sheriff’s office, the information will soon be merged into our existing system and does not need to be provided again – however, if you signed up online for Smart 911 – you WILL need to fill out a new form, so the 911 center has this critical information. Regardless, everyone WILL need to sign up for Everbridge in order to receive emergency alerts regarding Mathews County.
You may contact any of the following team members with questions or concerns:
Laura Carson , 911 Communications Manager (804)725-7177
Sheriff April Edwards (804)725-7177
David Dixon or Steve Ray with Emergency Management at (804)725-1639.
