BRATTLEBORO — Fire Chief Michael Bucossi told the Selectboard on Feb. 3 that anyone who wants to receive emergency messages through VT-Alert must sign up for the program at users.vtalert.gov.
VT-Alert aims to provide up-to-date information during emergencies so that residents can be informed and respond in a crisis. The service is free to use.
The VT-Alert website is provided by the Vermont Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security (DEMHS).
BENS users must sign up to the new system, Bucossi said.
The Town can't export the BENS database to VT-Alert because of privacy rights, Bucossi informed the board.
Once at the VT-Alert site, residents can enroll in the program by creating an online account. To verify the account, the system sends an email to the soon-to-be enrollee. Enrollment pathways for people without email accounts also exist at the website.
After creating an account, users can customize the type of information they receive, the regions or towns the alerts pertain to, and which phone numbers or email accounts they'd like to receive information at.