Vernon Upgrades Emergency Notification System

The city of Vernon is updating its capabilities of alerting citizens during an emergency, in addition to upgrading its emergency operations plan, the Courant reports.

The upgrades, which coincide with National Preparedness Month, will allow officials to send messages to Vernon residents in cases of emergency, including weather, amber alerts and any other urgent situation. The new system accesses cellular communication towers in the city, enabling police to message phones within the area.

The system, which reportedly had a price tag of $15,000 approved by the Town Council, allows officials to ping only certain segments of the town, as well.

The city is also renaming its Office of Emergency Management department to the Office of Emergency and Risk Management to reflect its new focus on risk management.

Read the full story at the Courant.

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.