Arlington Alerts Switches To State System

ARLINGTON, MA — The town is moving over to Everbridge Mass Notification, the system used by the state, to power Arlington Alerts. Arlington sends alerts via phone, text and email about emergency and important community developments, like town-wide snow emergencies and parking bans, or targeted alerts like trash route delays.

"The Everbridge system was appealing to the town due to its reputation, ease of use, and the expanded feature set," said Town Manager Adam Chapdelaine. "We're also pleased that we were able to net some savings for taxpayers through the state's contract."

The state uses Everbridge for its emergency communications and has done so extensively throughout the pandemic. The company was able to offer reduced pricing for Arlington through its contract with the state, which will save the town approximately $5,000 over the course of the three-year contract.

Among the expanded features is a portal for residents to create custom profiles and translation features, which the town will develop in the future as part of its equity plan.

"Arlington Alerts are an important method for us to reach the public during critical incidents," Police Chief Julie Flaherty said. "I hope everyone takes a moment this week to make sure they are in the new system. Help us get the word out. Tell your neighbors and share on social media."

Everbridge's Resident Connection provides verified mobile, landline, and VoIP telephone records to use for emergency notifications; however, there is no complete database available. Additionally, those that chose to keep their information private in the old system will not be shared with the town.

To help communicate the switch and to ensure the most complete database as possible, the town will initiate two Arlington Alerts.

Tuesday, January 11, 5PM – Initiated from the existing system to all subscribers to inform them of the move, the upcoming confirmation message, and ways to create a profile on the new system.

Wednesday, January 12, 5PM – Initiated from the new system to confirm registration in it.

Residents and businesses may create a profile in the new Mass Notification now at arlingtonma.gov/ArlingtonAlert.

Based in Burlington, Everbridge, Inc. is a global software company that provides enterprise software applications for automating and accelerating an organizations’ operational response to critical events. Everbridge serves eight of the 10 largest U.S. cities, as well as Boston, Somerville, Medford, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Tufts University.