The Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen will have a new alert system for emergencies starting in December.

The current CivicReady system that the RDOS has contracted their alerts to will no longer be operating in Canada as of the end of November, and so the RDOS will instead be moving to use a fully Canadian company, Voyent Alert! instead.

Voyent Alert! offers both an app for smartphones and text messages, email and landline telephone messages on routine and emergency notifications.

As part of the change in service providers, residents and property owners currently subscribed to receive CivicReady notifications via text message, email or telephone will be migrated to Voyent Alert!

Residents signed up to CivicREady will continue to receive the notifications they subscribed to, however, all accounts will also automatically be registered for emergency notifications as part of the transition.

To ensure a smooth transition, the RDOS asks that residents sign into their CivicReady account (https://rdos.ca.regroup.com/login) and confirm the primary telephone number and primary address of the property receiving alerts. Voyent Alert! uses geo-targeted technology to pinpoint exact properties, rather than notifying the entire Electoral Area.

Residents not currently signed up for CivicReady can still do so now, or they can sign up with Voyent Alert! in December.

CivicReady users will be sent reminder notifications prior to the change in service providers. RDOS staff will be available by telephone to assist with the transition process and answer questions about the new system.

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