MH Alerts - Emergency Notifications Now Available!
The City of Maryland Heights Police Department and Communications Division is partnering to implement a new emergency notification system called MH Alerts. This new system will allow emergency notifications to be delivered directly to you via text messages, email, or phone calls.
MH Alerts is a mass notification system, powered by a company called Everbridge, designed to keep residents, businesses, and visitors informed of emergencies.
Situations where MH Alerts will be utilized include: weather warnings, street closures, public safety alerts, and natural disasters. The Maryland Heights Police Department will utilize MH Alerts to alert you and keep you informed. There is no fee associated with this service, and you decide what information to provide. A more comprehensive FAQ regarding how the program works is available at marylandheights.com/Alerts
We'll be ringing in 2023 with a test of the new mass notification system. On January 1, 2023 at 1:00 p.m. you and others in your household may receive a MH Alert.
"It's a robust platform," states Communications Manager, Trisha Hall. "And we spent several years researching options. There were many, many notification companies that provide this service. Many entities from our trash provider to our local school districts are capable of sending out notifications. We were looking for a company that was multi-faceted and could provide emergency notifications through text messages, email, mobile app notifications, and most importantly - landlines."
While the average age of a Maryland Heights resident is 37 years, nearly 14% of the City's population is compiled of residents ages 65 years and older. "We had to remember that while many of us are used to having a cell phone glued to our hands, there is a chunk of our population who would rather receive a phone call. We needed to find a company that could do it all and make it easy for those who are not able to navigate an online registration process," explained Hall. One of the main factors for choosing Everbridge to provide this service was the ability to automatically create a database from a variety of sources like utility companies and credit services. Maryland Heights will own this database if we ever choose to switch to a different company in the future.
Another factor in choosing a company was the capability of alerting cell phones during an emergency situation without users being residents or signed up for MH Alerts. All cell phones manufactured after 2004 include a microchip that can receive wireless alerts. To access this feature, agencies must become IPAWS (Integrated Public Alert & Warning System) certified. "Most people with cell phones are familiar with AMBER alerts. This is the same type of communication. You don't sign up for AMBER alerts. They are sent to your phone by an agency who has authorization to send you these type of alerts," explained Hall. "We have several locations that attract a large number of visitors each year: the Hollywood Casino and Amphitheatre, Saint Louis Music Park and Centene Community Ice Center, and even Creve Coeur Park. One goal for this particular system after implementation is to complete the IPAWS certification process so we will be ready to send out emergency notifications to anyone within Maryland Heights, regardless if they have been able to sign up or not."
If assistance or questions regarding the system is needed, please contact Communications Manager, Trisha Hall at (314) 738-2497 or email mhlife@marylandheights.com. Please note that messages will be answered the following business day.
Click here to sign up
MH Alerts is a mass notification system, powered by a company called Everbridge, designed to keep residents, businesses, and visitors informed of emergencies.
Situations where MH Alerts will be utilized include: weather warnings, street closures, public safety alerts, and natural disasters. The Maryland Heights Police Department will utilize MH Alerts to alert you and keep you informed. There is no fee associated with this service, and you decide what information to provide. A more comprehensive FAQ regarding how the program works is available at marylandheights.com/Alerts
We'll be ringing in 2023 with a test of the new mass notification system. On January 1, 2023 at 1:00 p.m. you and others in your household may receive a MH Alert.
- This alert will either be a phone call or a text message.
- The notification will be labeled clearly as a test. No action is required.
- If you do not receive this test message, please visit: www.marylandheights.com/alerts and click the "Sign Up" button to create an account.
- When you create an account, you will be able to provide information such as correct phone numbers and email addresses.
"It's a robust platform," states Communications Manager, Trisha Hall. "And we spent several years researching options. There were many, many notification companies that provide this service. Many entities from our trash provider to our local school districts are capable of sending out notifications. We were looking for a company that was multi-faceted and could provide emergency notifications through text messages, email, mobile app notifications, and most importantly - landlines."
While the average age of a Maryland Heights resident is 37 years, nearly 14% of the City's population is compiled of residents ages 65 years and older. "We had to remember that while many of us are used to having a cell phone glued to our hands, there is a chunk of our population who would rather receive a phone call. We needed to find a company that could do it all and make it easy for those who are not able to navigate an online registration process," explained Hall. One of the main factors for choosing Everbridge to provide this service was the ability to automatically create a database from a variety of sources like utility companies and credit services. Maryland Heights will own this database if we ever choose to switch to a different company in the future.
Another factor in choosing a company was the capability of alerting cell phones during an emergency situation without users being residents or signed up for MH Alerts. All cell phones manufactured after 2004 include a microchip that can receive wireless alerts. To access this feature, agencies must become IPAWS (Integrated Public Alert & Warning System) certified. "Most people with cell phones are familiar with AMBER alerts. This is the same type of communication. You don't sign up for AMBER alerts. They are sent to your phone by an agency who has authorization to send you these type of alerts," explained Hall. "We have several locations that attract a large number of visitors each year: the Hollywood Casino and Amphitheatre, Saint Louis Music Park and Centene Community Ice Center, and even Creve Coeur Park. One goal for this particular system after implementation is to complete the IPAWS certification process so we will be ready to send out emergency notifications to anyone within Maryland Heights, regardless if they have been able to sign up or not."
If assistance or questions regarding the system is needed, please contact Communications Manager, Trisha Hall at (314) 738-2497 or email mhlife@marylandheights.com. Please note that messages will be answered the following business day.
Click here to sign up