Everbridge is a 24/7 alert system that could steer you clear of hazardous road conditions, tell you of an incoming flood and even downright save your life. The system is what Montezuma County uses for emergency alerts.
Despite this, only about one-third of people in the county who should be signed up have done so, says Montezuma County Emergency Manager Jim Spratlen.
With wildfire season raging on and at least three fires burning in the area as of Wednesday afternoon, emergency alerts become crucial.
The county is encouraging more residents to opt in as soon as possible. The current number of people signed up is a little more than 3,000, although Spratlen says that at least 11,000 people should be on board. Signing up the total county, at more than 26,000 people, isn’t entirely necessary, Spratlen said, namely because certain segments of the population, such as minors, could lack a phone.
Even though the county has the ability to send alerts out if there’s an emergency involving imminent threats to life, Everbridge offers more in-advance, or general notifications too: missing persons, storms, floods, hazmat spills and of course, wildfires.
The Journal sat down with both Spratlen and Montezuma County public information officer Vicki Shaffer on Tuesday to learn more about emergency alerts.
But first things’s first: Spratlen and Shaffer advise people to go to the county’s detailed instructions page at montezumacounty.org/montezuma-county-emergency-alert-system/, or to call (970) 564-4998 for assistance or more information.
“I can circle an area and if someone drives into it, it will hit their phone,” Spratlen said as he displayed Everbridge’s abilities to send out alerts in a targeted location.
The system can identify who’s in the vicinity of an emergency, connect with people who need assistance and create detailed instructions for safely evacuating the area, to name only a few features.
About two years ago, the county switched from an older emergency program that Spratlen and Shaffer say had fewer features. Part of the issue with signing people up now is that too many people are already linked onto Everbridge through the former system, Nixle.
“Now everybody who was on that system has to re-sign up again,” Shaffer said.
People newly signing up should ensure that when they reach the “find an organization” page on Everbridge, they then type in “Montezuma County” to find the updated alert system.
Spratlen and Shaffer acknowledged that the new program is a bit more complex, both to use as an administrator and to sign up for as a civilian.
But the trade off is a system with more capabilities, they said.
When asked by The Journal how she’d respond to someone who says the sign up is too complex, Shaffer had a simple answer: “Call me.”
Both officials say they’ve walked people through signing up for the program and can offer assistance to many more, ideally during regular business hours.
For county residents who lack a cellphone, a landline option is available too, Shaffer said. In that case, an emergency voice message would be sent out to the home phone.
When wildfires wreaked havoc on Hawaii in 2023, or when the Marshall fire overtook Colorado’s Boulder County in 2021, in both cases, part of the chaos that erupted was due to faulty or insufficient emergency warning systems, previous reporting has revealed.
Spratlen pointed to those instances of failed notification systems to say that the Everbridge program stands apart.
But signing up sooner, rather than later, is also necessary.
It isn’t unusual to see a boost in sign-ups right around the time an emergency strikes. Spratlen pointed to graphs on his computer showing an increase in people enrolled in the system since Aug. 1.
The likely explanation? Plenty of wildfires are active now, with the Stoner Mesa Fire already prompting evacuations.
Spratlen said he recognizes some people can be wary of signing up with any system that involves typing in personal details or getting looped in with a government agency.
But, Spratlen said, personal information, like addresses, are meant to send alerts specific to a person’s location. Moreover, such data is not sold off to a third party, as some might worry, he said.
The county’s emergency management capabilities are meant to help assist the public, he said.
“Whether it's a major disaster or a minor road closure, we want them to be informed,” Spratlen said. “We want to help them.”
