Mass Notification System Update

Greetings, all!

Camden County, MO EMA Director Sam Henley here.

As many of you may be aware, Camden County EMA has been seeking a replacement for the county’s mass notification system, Nixle, due to failures in the delivery of some vital notifications and other issues.

As of the Camden County Commission meeting this morning beginning at 10 AM, the votes favored our recommendation to move forward with Hyper-Reach.

Hyper-Reach is one of the frontrunners in cutting-edge technology which can evolve with the times. One of the most interesting factors is that Hyper-Reach has the capability of syncing with smart devices, social media, digital billboards, and MORE!

Our office is already moving forward with the build and customization of our interaction with the platform as of the posting of this blog. The intended rollout date is March 4, 2022. We will maintain service with Everbridge Nixle with some overlap until the conclusion of our contract with them on March 16, 2022.

The commission was extremely concerned about any interruption in the protection of the residents and visitors of Camden County during our transitional period. We assured them that our office maintains the certifications and access to the Federal Integrated Public Alert & Warning System (IPAWS) which “is FEMA’s national system for local alerting that provides authenticated emergency and life-saving information to the public through mobile phones using Wireless Emergency Alerts, to radio and television via the Emergency Alert System, and on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Weather Radio.” This is the system that is used to send out Amber and Silver alerts, alerts for immediate threats to life safety, and more. This is the Federal system we test THROUGH our mass notification system each month. Camden County EMA is up to date on the tests with no failures or interruptions.

The transition from Nixle to Hyper-Reach should be fairly smooth on the frontend, with users being automatically ported from one system to the other. You may experience some test messages during this time and there may be a bit of crossover during the overlapping time period of March 4-March 16, but we will do our best to keep these interruptions to a minimum.

We look forward to the possibilities and we are hoping for better coverage and more protection for our residents and visitors via Hyper-Reach!

Stay tuned for more information as the rollout date approaches!