Erie County has launched a new emergency alert system and is changing how some 911 calls are handled. County Executive Christina Vogel says the goal is faster information and smarter use of EMS resources.<\/p>\n
Erie County\u2019s new Genasys alert system is now live, sending out emergency notifications through text messages, phone calls, and app alerts. The system can target specific neighborhoods and automatically push out the most serious National Weather Service warnings, including tornado and flash\u2011flood alerts.<\/p>\n
County Executive Christina Vogel says the goal is faster, clearer communication.<\/p>\n
“Which means what happens is that sometimes we have to pull an ambulance company from a different part of the county, and then if there’s another emergency in that area, it just delays response. This will make everything more efficient \u2014 getting the right resources to the right people at the right time as efficiently as possible” County Executive Christina Vogel said.<\/p>\n
Signing up takes less than a minute. Residents can scan the QR code on county materials, which takes them directly to the registration page. From there, you can tailor alerts based on your location and specific needs.<\/p>\n
\u201cCounty leaders say these upgrades are just the beginning, with more improvements expected over the next year. With additional EMS changes planned, they believe residents will start to notice the difference very soon.\u201d Stephanie Logue reported.<\/p>\n
The county is also rolling out changes to EMS dispatching. Under the new \u201cstack\u201d system, ambulances will still respond to every call, but not every call will receive the same priority. The goal is to prioritize life\u2011or\u2011death emergencies.<\/p>\n
“If an ambulance from Summit Township has to respond to a low\u2011priority call in another municipality, and then a cardiac arrest happens back in Summit Township, that response is delayed because help has to come from farther away.” John Durlin, the Director of the Department of Public Safety for Erie County shared.<\/p>\n