Blackfoot Valley Dispatch - The Blackfoot Valley's News Source Since 1980

Lewis and Clark County public safety officials are urging residents to register with or update their information on their mass notification system.

During an emergency, RAVE Alert, the official mass notification system of Lewis and Clark County and the City of Helena, can send among other things texts, e-mails or voice messages to residents county-wide to keep them apprised of fires, floods or other public safety issues that may affect their communities.

"Just as we saw with the earthquake and with the fires, its critical for info to get out fast to affected people," Lincoln Fire Chief Zach Muse said.

Muse explained that the system also allows people to include specific details about their property, such as the number of people who live there, pets and livestock and even resources such as ponds, pumps or fuel that responders might be able to use. He said the system has the ability to send messages out to specific cell towers, to hit cell phones of residents, travelers or tourists who may be in the vicinity of an emergency.

"With both of these services combined, it gives us a big leg up on helping get people notified of disasters and emergencies," Muse said.

The county began using RAVE in 2016, but many residents haven't updated their information in the system.

An e-mail from Lewis and Clark County 911 that went to residents who may need to update their registration explained that they have many old subscriptions that need to be updated from their previous notification system vendor, which was less versatile.

To register or re-register, residents only need a cell number and an e-mail to get started, but adding an address lets dispatch target notifications to people living in specific areas.

Enrollment in the system is voluntary and free, and the county dispatch center is encouraging people to sign up for the system so they can keep getting important alerts.

For more information, contact Dispatch Center manager Peter Callahan at [email protected]