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April 8, 2010 (San Diego) -- Sheriff Bill Gore announces that San Diego County Sheriff’s Department has begun to distribute public safety notifications using the Nixle community notification service.
Nixle is a free web-based service provided by Nixle, LLC. Residents may register by going to the Nixle web site (www.nixle.com), and clicking the “Residence Sign Up Now” button. Once registered, users will receive messages by e-mail and by text message to their wireless phones. Messages are categorized as Alerts, Advisories, Community Information, and Traffic.
Recent examples of Nixle messages sent by the Sheriff’s Department include those of missing at-risk persons, the search for an armed suspect, and notification of a prescription drug take-back program.
There is no charge to use this service, and users’ information is not given or sold to any other entities.
“The real strength of Nixle is that we can target a geographic area in making notifications,” said Sheriff Bill Gore. “This helps to ensure the information you get is relevant to your community.”
The service differs from East County Magazine’s Viejas Wildfire and Emergency Alerts in that it is narrowly targeted geographically and also is limited to Sheriff Department news. ECM recommends signing up also for our alerts, which provide information from multiple emergency departments countywide to bring you alerts on topics such as wildfires, flash floods, earthquakes, freeway closures, landslides, police/SWAT activities, major road hazards, tsunami warnings, and severe weather alerts such as red flag fire danger, tornado watches, blizzards, missing children, and high wind warnings.
Sign up for East County Magazine’s FREE Viejas Wildfire & Emergency alerts at http://www.eastcountymagazine.org/?q=node/89. We cover only major threats to public safety, and send an average of a couple of two to four alerts per week, as well as our weekly e-newsletter.
We also offer options to follow ViejasAlerts at www.Twitter.com so you can receive timely alerts via cell phone or Blackberry wherever you are when an emergency occurs.
Sheriff Gore added that while Nixle will be helpful in distributing important public safety information, it will not take the place of Reverse 911 and Alert San Diego. “Nixle will augment existing resources in times of emergencies,” Sheriff Gore explained, “When notifications are given to evacuate or shelter-in-place, residents should anticipate those messages will be by telephone from Reverse 911.”
More information about Nixle, including answers to frequently asked questions may be found on the Sheriff’s web site at www.sdsheriff.net/nixle/.
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