Everbridge is a web-based emergency alert system used by governments and first responders across the country, including Summit County.
The Summit County Sheriff’s Office used Everbridge over the weekend, during a multi-agency pursuit through Jeremy Ranch down to Salt Lake City. However, not everyone received the sheriff’s alert.
When deputies combed through Jeremy Ranch looking for the suspects and their vehicle, they saw many residents’ garages were open. Summit County Sheriff’s Capt. Kacey Bates said that motivated the Everbridge alert that urged Jeremy Ranch residents to close their garages.
Bates said the alert Saturday night went out to nearly 1,500 people. If somebody didn’t receive an alert, that’s because they weren’t signed up for Everbridge or weren’t included in the targeted location radius.
“It can be really specific where we send it to,” Bates said. “It's a map. And we can literally draw a line of where we want Everbridge to be sent out to.”
She said communications supervisors in the Summit County Sheriff’s Office monitor radio traffic to decide which residents need to be alerted in an emergency. The sheriff’s office coordinates with the Park City Police Department, and the sheriff or police chief must approve the alert before it goes out.
Even though the Jeremy Ranch alert reached almost 1,500 Everbridge users, Bates said only 148 confirmed they’d received the notification.
She said it’s helpful if people confirm they’ve seen the emergency notification, so the sheriff’s office knows whether it was effective.
There are two ways to sign up: residents can visit summitcountyalerts.org or download the Everbridge app.
On the app, search for Park City/Summit County Emergency Alerts and input an address and contact information to sign up. Notifications can come via text, email or a phone call.
