Sanders County Emergency Alert System operational

Residents in all corners of Sanders County can now be updated via the newly installed Emergency Alert System.

Hyper-Reach is a telephone-based mass notifications system used by thousands of public safety agencies across the U.S. to warn citizens about local emergencies, hazards and other threats.  

Sanders County have selected Hyper-Reach to help bring this same life-saving capability to the area. The emergency notification system is designed specifically for public safety.

Sanders County Emergency Manager Bill Naeglei said, ”Sanders County is a large county with a small police force so the travel time for an officer to get to a place is high. With this system we could notify a large or small area in minutes. The system has some internal features that we can use that will keep the personnel that use the system familiar with it so we won’t have to get out the help book every time it has to be used.”

Although residents who have a landline are already on the alert system, Naegeli said that those who use smart phones can easily register through this website: http://hyper-reach.com/mtsanderssignup.html.

You can call 406-826-8074 to register as well. There is also a downloadable app, Hyper-Reach Anywhere, for those app-preferred smart phone users, and it’s free.

“If you have a landline then you are already in the system. If you want a notification on your cell phone or an email then you have to register,” Naegeli advised.

“It can be used for anything that the public needs alerted to,” he said of the new system.

FUNDING FOR the new system, which costs $5,000, will be partially funded through 911 funds, county budget and grant money.

Both Sanders County Dispatch and Sanders County Emergency Management will be in charge of operating the system should it be required to be used.

“We have been looking for about two years. After we found out that our old Reverse 911 did not have current information and the old system was very hard to use,” explained Naegeli.

The system has been in full swing since Aug. 1 of this year — with training continuing for those that require to know how to use it correctly underway.

“Our old system was not user friendly and the company was not keeping the address information updated for the Reverse 911 so we started looking at other systems,” said Naegeli.

Sanders County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Shawna Chenoweth said, “We reviewed all the major vendors for emergency notification service, and Hyper-Reach gave us everything we needed. We’re really excited about this new capability.”

The system will be used primarily for alerts about weather and environmental hazards, criminal activity and missing persons.

“Our job is to protect the citizens of Sanders County as efficiently and cost-effectively as possible,” said Naegeli.