Alert system nearly ready

Camp said the service will use numbers listed in the Whitepages to contact residents about major emergencies. But people will be able to go on to the county website to register their cell phones and e-mail addresses for alerts.

Schweitzer said the system will be easy to use for dispatchers, who can alert the entire county of weather emergencies or notify portions of the county about ongoing incidents.

“You can do radiuses as far as you want, such as countywide calls or calls on just the side of a street,” said Schweitzer. “It’s good for Amber alerts, bank robberies or notification of suspects in your neighborhood.”

Schweitzer said First Call serves about 600 clients in 32 states. He noted that the company helped provide mass evacuation calls prior to Hurricanes Katrina and Gustav.

Camp said there’s no set date for implementing the service. He suggested that citizens interested in signing up for the alerts should periodically check the county website — www.madisoncountyga.us — for a link to the First Call service.

Camp also said that a form will be made available in the near future to citizens without Internet access who want to sign up for the service.