York County Communications reaching out to public about upgrades in services, providing instructions on participation

​YORK – Leila Luft, RPL, director of York County Emergency Communications, is working to educate the public about  a new alert system and encourage participation. 

​“York County 911 and our public safety partners are committed to alerting you when emergencies occur and providing real-time information to help keep you informed so you can stay safe," Luft says. “We launched Everbridge, an emergencv notification system, in September, 2023. This system allows us to notify you quickly, wherever you are, so long as as you tell us how to reach you. Everbridge replaced our previous emergency notification system, Nixle Wire. Those who were previously signed up to receive York Alerts will have to re-register for Everbridge using the instructions” they are providing.
“A new feature available for us to use is called the Everbridge Resident Connection,” Luft explained. “Resident Connection provides landline, VoIP and cell phone numbers registered in York County. Resident Connection helps our local public safety authorities reach more of our communities in times of crisis and distribute life-saving communications. Should you receive a voice call, you may opt out by following the directions in the call. If you receive a text and would like to opt out, simply respond STOP to the text.
“York County 911 can use Everbridge to distribute emergency communication to the public regarding hazmat incidents, missing/endangered children or elderly, suspects at large and incidents requiring shelter in place, evacuation, etc. Should you wish to receive weather alerts through Everbridge like what Nixle Wire provided, you can opt in for those notifications on your contact profile. York County 911 will routinely test Everbridge monthly to ensure the system is proficient for a true event. Please do not call the 911 center to check the validity of the call. We assure you, it is legitimate. If you want to confirm that you received the message, you can reply YES to confirm receipt of the message.
“To sign up online, go to https://www.yorkcounty.ne.gov/ , scroll down to Quick Links and click on Everbridge Alerts. By signing up and providing key contact information we will be able to push emergency alerts and information out to you when it counts. We understand your personal information is private and will keep it strictly confidential. It is important that you keep your contact information updated so we can reach you. Please note that signing up for emergency alerts is free, but standard text messaging fees from your cell carrier may apply.
“To Opt IN: To sign up online, go to https://www.yorkcounty.ne.gov/ , scroll down to Quick Links and click on Everbridge Alerts. When you sign up you will be able to create a profile to tell us how you would like to be notified. The more information you include, the better we will be able to provide you with alerts and information that affects you. You can select the kinds of notifications you wish to receive. You can change and update your preferences any time by logging back in! And again, all information you provide will be kept strictly confidential.
“To Opt OUT: To stop receiving alerts on specific devices, simply remove the contact information from your profile. If you remove all contact information you will no longer receive any alerts (not recommended). If you wish to delete your account, log into your profile, and choose ‘Delete My Account’ under My Profile.”