ETCOG is proud to announce its Executive Committee approved the renewal of purchasing a mass emergency notification system as a part of its public safety program for the 14 th consecutive year. ETCOG has entered a new five-year contract with Rave Mobility for an annual payment of $80,000, funded by our Homeland Security Grant funding. This system allows ETCOG to partner with East Texas’ city and county emergency management coordinators to send messages quickly notifying citizens about emergencies such as: Tornadoes and storm events Drinking water contamination Utility outages Evacuation notices and routes Missing persons Fires or floods Bomb threats Hostage or active shooter situations Chemical spills or gas leaks Other emergency incidents where rapid and accurate notification is essential This will be the second five-year contract ETCOG has entered into with Rave Mobility, offering unlimited minutes/texting, unlimited system users, and unlimited weather warnings that instantly and automatically alert recipients based on weather in the area, including type of weather, location, and severity. It also allows emergency management coordinators to deploy messages in over 50 different language translations and integrates with social media platforms. “We are excited to continue our service with Rave Mobility to offer Smart911 alerts,” said ETCOG’s Public Safety Director, Stephanie Heffner. “The capacity to have unlimited minutes and users opens up the opportunity to partner with more jurisdictions in the region that may have not participated before. Also, we know many of our jurisdictions used to pay for weather warning services out of pocket, so we are happy to offer a cost-saving opportunity with this vendor.” The system has been contracted for Anderson, Camp, Cherokee, Gregg, Harrison, Marion, Panola, Rains, Rusk, Smith, Upshur, Van Zandt, and Wood counties. To sign up for Smart911 Alerts from your community, visit www.etcog.org/alerts . The system will collect information to share with first responders on your household, medical and emergency contacts, and if there are pets in the home.