blue water and rocks

12.17.2019

NPCA IS FIRST CONSERVATION AUTHORITY TO USE ALERTABLE APP

The Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA) is the first Conservation Authority in Ontario to use the Alertable App— a trustworthy and reliable emergency alert software platform used by local, regional and provincial officials to notify and inform the public of disasters and hazards.

Severe weather alerts from Environment and Climate Change Canada, local Conservation Authorities and critical alerts from Canada’s national public alert system, Alert Ready, are automatically received on all Alertable products, saving time for local emergency officials and municipalities from re-broadcasting those.

“The NPCA now has the ability to send flood advisories directly to the residents of our watershed through their mobile devices,” says Steve Miller, Senior Manager of Water Resources at NPCA. “Once they’ve uploaded the app, not only can we advise them of potential flooding threats, but we can now communicate directly with them to provide direction on what they should be doing in the case of a real emergency.”

Alertable was successfully used during the BC-Alberta-Saskatchewan cross-border fires in 2017-19, the Fort McMurray wildfires in 2016 and the Calgary Floods in 2013. The app is free to download and use, with no registration required or need to provide personal information such as name, phone number and email.

"We are very pleased that the NPCA has chosen Alertable to notify residents and visitors of hazards and emergencies to keep people and property safe. They join more than 1,000 regional/municipal officials in Canada using Alertable for community alerting,” adds Jacob Westfall, Chief Technology Officer at Public Emergency Alerting Services Inc (PEASI).

With more residents now online, Alertable plays a key role in disseminating such important information as it provides the most options for the public to receive alerts for maximum user choice and preferences. Options include a mobile app for iOS and Android, a smart speaker app for Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant devices, social media feeds for Facebook and Twitter, a public website, and soon a chat bot for Facebook Messenger. The platform supports alerts sent in English and French and is compliant with accessibility guidelines for iOS, Android and Web.

To download the app, please visit www.alertable.ca.

For more information on the NPCA, please visit www.npca.ca. Follow on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for more updates.

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About NPCA:

The NPCA manages the impact of human activities, urban growth, and rural activities on the Niagara Peninsula watershed with programs and services that help keep people and their property safe from flooding and erosion, while retaining the safety of our drinking water.

NPCA manages 42 Conservation Areas, including Ball’s Falls, Binbrook, Long Beach and Chippawa Creek. These lands are held in public trust for recreation, heritage preservation, conservation, and education. NPCA’s Conservation Areas marry nature, culture and adventure to create limitless opportunities for discovery.

About PEASI (Public Emergency Alerting Services Inc):
PEASI is based in Calgary, Alberta and is a recognized contributor to international public emergency alerting standards and guidelines and regularly provides subject matter expertise, opinion and comment to government inquiries, commissions and studies. Their award-winning smart emergency alert platform, Alertable, was developed more than 12 years ago and continues to evolve and get smarter and more capable. Alertable was successfully used during the BC-Alberta-Saskatchewan cross border fires in 2017-present, the Fort McMurray wildfires in 2016 and the Calgary Floods in 2013.


Questions related to the above release should be directed to:
Erika Navarro,
Communications Specialist
Mobile: 905-650-4027
enavarro@npca.ca