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Alert Montgomery


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FAQS




Alert Montgomery Program: Frequently Asked Questions

 

What is Alert Montgomery?

Alert Montgomery is a software application used to send emergency alerts,
notifications and updates to electronic devices including: landline phones, cell
phones, pagers, smart phones and e-mail accounts. In the event of an emergency,
natural or man-made, the county will be able to send important alerts and
updates directly to county residents if they choose to create an Alert
Montgomery account.

How does Alert Montgomery work?

In an emergency situation, Alert Montgomery subscribers will be sent information
by the county, to inform residents of the situation and give instructions on how
to react. Residents should then promptly follow instructions and continue to
keep devices near them in the event that subsequent information is disseminated.

What kind of alerts and notifications will I receive?

You can receive alerts about: School closures, government closures, gas leaks,
severe weather, traffic, park closures, public health and other public
emergencies. Regardless of the alerts you choose to receive, ALL account holders
will receive tornado warnings and other critical emergency notifications.

My phone made a weird noise and a message flashed on the screen.  Is this part
of Alert Montgomery?

No.  This is a Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA).  

What is a Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA)?

A Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) is a public safety technology that allows
public safety agencies to send critical notifications relating to dangerous
weather, missing children or other dangerous situations.  The WEA system enables
government officials to target emergency notifications to specific geographic
areas.  This technology is only used when absolutely necessary.  The key
difference is that Alert Montgomery is a voluntary, opt-in program specific to
Montgomery County, MD whereas WEA is a technology that is embedded in all modern
cell phones.

Can I opt out of getting a WEA?

Cell phone owners can opt out of all WEA features other than a Presidential
Alert.  Residents who wish to turn off this feature can do so by calling their
respective cell phone carrier or visiting a brick and mortar store (IE: Verizon,
AT&T, etc.) and speaking with a customer service representative.

What are the new features in Alert Montgomery?

One major component of the new alert system is the ability to deliver more
targeted alerts during location specific emergencies such as gas leaks,
hazardous materials events and flash floods. This improved technology will
enable residents to manage their own account information with more ease,
ensuring they can readily receive important emergency alerts and notifications.

 

How do I register for an account?

 1. Click on this link:
    http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/OEMHS/AlertMontgomery/index.html

 1. Then click the REGISTER button

 1. Enter a User name ( use a name you will easily remember, like your email)

 1. Enter a password and answer the security question

 1. Next enter the telephone #’s and email addresses you want to receive alerts
    on.

 1. Next enter the addresses for Home and any other location like work if you
    want to get alerts about those locations.

 1. Select the types of alert message you want to receive. Click the + to see
    all the selections(Please make sure to carefully select only those schools
    you want. It is easy to select ALL 207 schools)

 

 1. Click finish and you are done. You should now be able to get all alerts that
    we send for the types of alerts you have selected.

Is there an App for Alert Montgomery?

There is an App for Android and iPhone users. Search for Everbridge and select
the "ContactBridge" app on the Google Play or Apple Store. These apps are free,
however text and data charges may apply, check with your mobile carrier for more
details. Once you download the App, simply log in to the app with your User Name
and Password to activate.

There is no application available for Blackberry or Windows based phones at this
time.

Why am I getting Alerta Espaniola (Spanish alerts)?

You are receiving the Alerta Española because you selected all 207 alert
subscriptions in the MCPS alert section, which included this Spanish language
alert. If this is NOT what you intended, please Login to your account and modify
your selections to exclude the 'Alerta Espanol' subscription.




How do I Log in to my account

 1. Click on this link:
    http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/OEMHS/AlertMontgomery/index.html 

 1. Then click the Login button

 1. Enter your User name (If you cannot remember your user name, click the
    forgot username button)

 1. Enter your password (If you cannot remember your password, click the forgot
    Password button)

 1. You can now select or modify the types of alert message you want to receive.
    Click the + to see all the selections (Please make sure to carefully select
    only those schools you want. It is easy to select ALL 207 schools)

 

You should now be able to receive all alert notifications that are sent for the
alert types that you have selected.

 

I would like to discontinue receiving text and/or email alerts.

There are three ways to modify or un-enroll from SMS and email notifications in
Alert Montgomery.  The first option is to reply 'STOP' to SMS message or click
the 'Unsubscribe' link at the bottom of email messages.  Residents can also log
into their account and modify the contact paths and subscription options to
better suit their needs.  The third option is to call 240-777-0311 and inform
the call taker what subscriptions, phone numbers or email addresses you want
removed from Alert Montgomery.

Why should I provide my address?

Providing your address enables us to send target information specific to a
geographic location, such as your home, place of business or school. Providing
an address allows us to alert you of events such as gas line breaks/leaks which
are only sent to account holders with addresses listed near the event location.
You can enter up to 5 addresses.

I still do not want to enter my address, but would like to receive targeted
alerts. What options do I have?

Residents, who wish to receive geographically specific alerts, but not provide
their home address, can enter the address of a nearby public building (Example:
school, library, fire station or your community center).

Is there a reason I should sign up for Alert Montgomery if I'm already signed up
for a municipality system?

The municipalities of Rockville, Gaithersburg and Takoma Park have their own
public alerting system for residents who live or work within their respective
municipality. At this time Gaithersburg, Rockville and Takoma Park are the only
municipalities in Montgomery County with this feature. We recommend that you
also register with Alert Montgomery, as this will ensure you are receiving the
most accurate emergency information for countywide events and emergencies. There
are also certain alert types only available via Alert Montgomery (County
Government Closures, Montgomery County Public Schools, etc.).

Why can I only add 5 delivery methods (cell phones, emails, etc.) to my account?

This is a software limitation of the system. If you are interested in receiving
alerts to more than 5 delivery channels (cell phones, emails, etc.), you are
allowed to register for multiple accounts. We encourage residents to have their
family members, neighbors and friends sign up for individual accounts rather
than link numerous users to one account.

What number will show up when you send me a text message? What number will show
up when you call me?

When you receive text messages from Alert Montgomery, they will be sent from the
short code 89361 or 87844. Add text number 89361 & 87844 to your mobile phone
contacts to easily identify text messages from Alert Montgomery. If you choose
to receive voice calls, the system will contact you from 240-777-2346. Please
store these numbers as a contact in your phone as 'Alert Montgomery'.

What is a Short Code and why does Alert Montgomery use it?

A Short Code is a 5 or 6 digit number that is used to send SMS / text messages
to mobile phones.  The Alert Montgomery notification system uses short codes in
lieu of the traditional 10 digit phone number for several reasons.  First, long
codes are meant for person-to-person communication (Example:  texting your
spouse that you will be home late due to bad weather) and can only send one text
message per second.  For high-volume, time sensitive mass messaging (Example:
Successive weather warnings) short codes are a better fit since they can send 30
messages per second to tens of thousands of devices - much faster than Long
Codes.  Alert Montgomery currently has over 200,000 county residents with
numerous registered devices, which furthers the need for Short Codes.  Finally,
cell phone carriers vet and approve all Short Codes prior to their intended use,
thus preventing carrier filtering or suspension during heavy cell phone traffic.
  This vetting is critical for ensuring timely communication to county residents
during inclement weather, major traffic delays or other emergencies.  Important:
 It is recommended that you speak with your cell carrier about short codes and
ensure the numbers:  88911, 89361, & 87844 are unblocked on your cell phone plan
as these are the primary, backup, and secondary backup short codes which Alert
Montgomery uses.  Some cell phone plans, especially ones that do not have
unlimited texting, have premium messaging blocked to reduce errant messaging.
 Standard messaging rates do apply.

Will my contact information be shared?

Absolutely not. The information that you provide will be used for Alert
Montgomery notification purposes only. We will not distribute or sell your
contact or location information to any vendor or other organization.

Why is the new system not allowing me to Register a user name?

The New Alert Montgomery system uses Unique user names. If someone else has
already entered that user name you will have to come up with a different user
name and password to register for the system. This is an added security feature
of our new system.

What is the difference between a watch, warning and advisory?

The National Weather Service in Sterling, VA is the local office responsible for
issuing all weather forecasts and warning for Montgomery County. For their
official list of terminology, please visit:
http://www.erh.noaa.gov/er/lwx/Defined/

Why are there so many contact methods provided and why would I want to
"re-order" them?

Alert Montgomery allows customers to choose the type of delivery path (text,
email, pager) and order of delivery. For example some residents may want to
place the priority on receiving text messages before email, or vice versa. This
customization allows residents to choose which delivery method suits their needs
best.

Is the registration process available to those who are not fluent in English?

You can use Google Translate to transform the text data on the Everbridge
registration site to the language that you are most comfortable with.

What does "VOICE Mobile Phone" and "VOICE Home Phone" mean?

One of the enhancements of this system is the ability to send alerts via voice
communication paths. This means the system can place a phone call and play an
audio message for you. Note, if you do not want to receive phone calls from the
system, we suggest that you do not provide a number for these "VOICE" paths.

Can I register with an address outside of Montgomery County?

You can register any address that is within a 75 mile radius of McClean,
Virginia (this is considered to be the center of the National Capital Region
(NCR)).  This radius was designed to limit the number of addresses which are far
removed from the region and maintain efficiency of sending notifications during
weather events. Certain types of alerts will only be received by individuals
within a certain radius of the event/incident location (i.e. gas leaks, "Weather
Alert Type" subscriptions, hazardous materials incidents). If you live and/or
work outside of the county, you're encouraged to sign-up for that respective
jurisdiction's alerting system as well.

How often will I get alert notifications?

To a large extent, it’s up to you. The number of alerts you receive depends on
the types of alerts you sign up for, and how often emergencies happen. For
example, you may get many messages each week if you sign up for traffic
condition alerts. But you may get severe weather alerts far less often. If you
feel you are getting too few or too many alerts, you can adjust your alert
settings.

Is it free to sign-up?

Yes, it is a free service offered by local governments; however standard
messaging and data rates may apply. Check with your wireless carrier’s plan for
details.

Will my personal information be kept private?

Yes, local governments do not sell your email address or phone number, and they
only use this information to send you alert notifications.

If I sign up for alerts from two jurisdictions (like the city and the county)
will I get two messages?

Yes, each alert network sends messages to the registered users and does not
distinguish between individuals registered on multiple systems.

 

 



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