Frequently Asked Questions about Frecom911 Alert (Everbridge)
What is Frecom911 Alert? Frecom911 Alert is an emergency notification system provided by the Fremont County E911 Authority, administered by Frecom911, and used by law enforcement, fire districts, and other local governmental agencies to issue government related messages to residents and businesses throughout Fremont and Custer Counties. The Frecom911 Alert system that is used has the capacity to send thousands of messages via landline telephones, cell phones, TTY, e-mail, text, and fax…..all within minutes.
I previously registered with Alert Fremont. Do I need to register again? Yes. The Fremont County E911 Board has entered into a new contract with Everbridge to provide the notification service through Frecom911 Alert for Fremont and Custer Counties. You will need to register for the new service. The previous service under Alert Fremont will be discontinued as of January 29, 2021.
Is there assistance available to help me register? Yes, volunteers with the Fremont County Office of Emergency Management have offered to assist residents and visitors with registration if needed. Please call (719) 276-7421 and leave a message and a volunteer will call you back as soon as available to assist you.
How can I sign up to make sure I receive emergency messages? You can sign up any and all wireless (cellular) phones, VoIP phones, landlines, emails, or text messaging in your household or business by going to the Frecom911 Alert registration page and following the prompts.
How does the Frecom911 Alert service work? Authorized local government officials will either record a voice message, type an e-mail or text message, and deliver the message quickly to individuals whose phone numbers and contact information is registered in the notification system.
What types of messages may be sent using the Frecom911 Alert system? The primary use of the system will be to send messages dealing with the public safety, health, or welfare of the community or neighborhood that is being affected by an emergency event. Messages may be informational in nature or may demand action such as an evacuation.
Is my contact information included in the Frecom911 Alert system database? Frecom911 Alert contains residential and commercial landline phone numbers of Fremont County’s entire population. In accordance with legal requirements, landline phone numbers were acquired by the local phone companies’ databases. Your personal cell phone and e-mail contact information is not in the database until you take action to register your cell phone and VoIP phone numbers.
What if I don’t have a landline phone, can the Frecom911 Alert system still call my cell phone? Yes, residents who have registered their cell phone numbers in the Frecom911 Alert system will receive messages on their cell phones regardless of your location if your cell phone is within signal strength of a tower. Since there are many instances when you may not be at home to receive an emergency message, officials recommend that all residents with cell phones add your numbers to the Frecom911 Alert database.
If I register more than one phone number, which number will be called with the emergency message? Notifications are sent out in the order you specify when you register your numbers. The system sends the alert to each method of contact until you acknowledge the alert. Once the alert is acknowledged, the system stops trying to contact you via your methods indicated.
I got an emergency notification call at work, but I didn’t get the same message on my cell phone even though I registered. Why not? In most cases an emergency notification message is distributed to an area of the county or in a city, or perhaps to a particular neighborhood. An emergency message to your workplace may not be made to your home phone or cell phone. If an emergency message is sent to your home phone, you will receive the same message on your cell phone if that is the addressed which was registered.
Will the Frecom911 Alert system call me if I’m outside my area code and in another state? Yes, the area code does not impact whether or not a call is made.
What happens if the emergency message is sent while I’m talking on the phone or if I’m not at home? For busy signals, call waiting, or when there is not an answer, the call will be dialed several times in an attempt to reach you. If the phone is answered by a message recorder, the message will be left on the answering device. If after several attempts the call does not successfully go through, the system will stop attempting to call.
What precautions are taken to protect my personal contact information in the Alert Fremont database? The Frecom911 Alert system is powered by Everbridge. Everbridge takes your privacy and security very seriously. A contract is in place that prohibits Everbridge Alert contact information from being shared, sold, traded, leased, or loaned to outside parties. Access to citizen information by county or city personnel is limited and approved at many layers. Information registered by you through the web page registration is sent over a secure connection. Everbridge uses multiple physical and virtual layers of firewalls to maintain data security. Data is hosted in state-of-the -art facilities which require keycard and password recognition and are staffed around the clock with full-time Everbridge personnel.
Do I need an e-mail address to register my cell phone numbers? No. Email is not required to register.
Are there password requirements? Yes, your password must contain 8 characters.
Must I register my information on every line of the registration page? All lines marked with a star * are required. If not filled out, those lines will show a red border after you click the ‘submit’ button.
Can I register more than one cell phone number under my e-mail address? Yes, you can register multiple phones for yourself.
Should I register my home landline number to make sure I’m included in the database? No, your home phone number is already listed in the database and does not need to be registered. Registration is for cell phone, VoIP, and e-mail address registration only. Registering your cell phone number will not replace or overwrite your home phone number. All efforts will be made to reach you at all of your contact numbers.
How can I receive text messages? If your cell phone number is registered you will receive any text messages that may be sent by the Frecom911 Alert system.
I entered the wrong information, can you correct it for me? The best way to correct or update your information is to sign in and correct your information manually.
What if I move out of Fremont or Custer County or out of state, how do I remove my cell phone numbers from the database? Simply sign in and select to remove yourself from the database. If you fail to remove your cell phone numbers from the database, you will continue to receive emergency notifications tied to your former address.
I have a question that is not covered in this list of FAQ. Please contact Frecom911 Executive Director Bill Duggan at (719) 792-6411 or everbridge@frecom911.com.