What is ALERT Franklin County?
ALERT Franklin County is a mass notification and warning program used by FCEM&HS to inform residents about severe weather and important emergency/disaster alerts in Franklin County. The ALERT Franklin County Program can also send out alerts issued through the OSU Department of Public Safety Buckeye Alert System. Buckeye Alert System Information Weather alerts and Buckeye Alerts WILL NOT be sent via keyword and will require creating a full user profile with a Franklin County address in ALERT Franklin County.
What are some of the features of ALERT Franklin County?
ALERT Franklin County is customizable and allows you to choose what kind of severe weather notifications you want to receive, how you want to receive them and the location you want to receive them for.
Who sends the weather alerts and when will I receive them?
Severe weather alerts are automatically issued from the National Weather Service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year for the weather events you choose. The system does offer a "Do Not Disturb" option during registration. This enables you to limit the times you receive weather alerts with the exception of Tornado Warnings which are always active.
What types of important emergency/disaster alerts will I receive?
Franklin County Emergency Management & Homeland Security will use ALERT Franklin County to send emergency notification when there are imminent threats to life, health, and safety for residents in Franklin County.
Who can register for ALERT Franklin County?
Any Franklin County resident or commuter can register for ALERT Franklin County. Data from the white and yellow pages is already included in the system. FCEM&HS will send emergency notifications to these numbers through landlines only.
Will I still get emergency notifications if I don't sign up?
Individuals and businesses that are in the white and yellow pages are available to the system and may receive emergency notifications through their traditional landline. If you are currently listed in the white or yellow pages and would like to customize your notifications, you must register at www.alertfranklincounty.org. If you are an individual who is not listed in the white pages, you will not receive notifications if you don’t register.
Will my contact information be shared with others?
No. The information that you provide will be used only for notification purposes. We will not sell or provide your information to any vendor or outside organization.
How will my information be secured?
ALERT Franklin County’s vendor, Everbridge, complies with industry standards and best practices for system administration, security policies, and application development. To make our system the most secure, Everbridge complies with FISMA security guidelines set forth by NIST (National Institute of Standards in Technology). In addition to our vendor's NIST compliance, the General Services Administration (GSA) has also completed several security audits on our application. These audits resulted in Everbridge being the only emergency notification vendor to receive an Authority to Operate.
The Everbridge data security policy may be found here.
What if my phone number(s) or email address(es) change?
The system is only as good as the information you provide. Once you have registered to receive notifications, it is important that you keep your profile current. If your contact information changes, please remember to update your information in your profile.
What types of devices are compatible with ALERT Franklin County?
Text messaging (SMS network), email accounts, cellphones, and landlines are compatible with ALERT Franklin County. Standard text message charges may apply from your mobile carrier, depending on your text message plan. If you are unsure about text messaging on your cell phone, please contact your provider.
What number will show up when you send me a text message? What is the phone number and email address that notifications will come from?
When you receive text messages from ALERT Franklin County, they will be sent from 893-61 or 878-44. We encourage you to add this text number into your mobile phone contacts to easily identify text messages that are alerts. When you receive a phone call from ALERT Franklin County, the number will display 614-423-5638. In addition, email notifications will come from @everbridge.net and you are encouraged to add this to your address book or safe list to ensure it does not get marked as SPAM by your email provider. All web browsers are supported.
What is FCREADY?
FCREADY is a keyword text message alert used by Franklin County Emergency Management & Homeland Security (FCEM&HS) within the ALERT Franklin County Mass Notification Program. Keywords provide a quick and easy way for Franklin County residents and visitors to receive emergency information via text message.
Who can and how do you sign up for FCREADY?
Anyone can receive these text messages. Simply text FCREADY to 888777. The keyword FCREADY does not require citizens to create an account/profile in ALERT Franklin County, therefore, no personal information will be collected.
What kind of alerts will I receive?
FCEM&HS can send subscribers emergency management and disaster information.