Oak Harbor: Village starts alert system

The Village of Oak Harbor has implemented a community notification system to alert residents to public emergencies and to disseminate community advisories.
The village has partnered with Everbridge Nixle for the real-time service, Quinton Babcock, mayor, said.
The village is using funding from the CARES Act for the service.
“Although we will only use this broadcasting system, as needed, I believe it will prove to be a valuable tool for safety and communication,” said Police Chief Eric Parker, noting the system will be controlled through the police department’s dispatch center. “The system gives the village the ability to message our employees separately, as well.”
According to Chief Parker, community notifications and updates may include public emergencies—such as snow emergencies and road closures—as well as non-emergency events and Covid-19 updates.
Nixle materials say the community notification system creates a “communications structure that can help solve crimes, build safer communities, and promote a positive dialogue and partnership between residents and law enforcement.”
More than 7,200 agencies in the United States rely on Nixle for community engagement and emergency communications.
In Oak Harbor, alerts will be geographically targeted, allowing residents to receive localized, relevant alerts from the village via SMS text message, email and the web. Messages can be transmitted anywhere in a radius from a quarter mile to 10 miles, providing neighborhood-level, time-sensitive information to affected citizens.
Any resident may register by texting his or her zip code to 888777 from a mobile phone or by signing up via the Nixle Widget at https://local.nixle.com/signup/widget/i/52518. Once registered, residents will receive a confirmation text. The service is free to Oak Harbor residents who access the notifications by email and online. Text-messaging rates may apply, depending on the resident’s phone plan.
This system will be used for both emergency and non-emergency notifications that benefit the public welfare. Residents who have messages they would like to broadcast may forward them to Chief Parker or the chief dispatcher. The department will be creating templets for ease of broadcasting reoccurring events.
“The Village of Oak Harbor will have the capability to immediately reach residents that have signed up for Nixle,” Chief Parker said. “This efficient form of mass communication will save valuable time. Having a public broadcasting system is a great way of staying in touch with our residents.”
The Oak Harbor Police Department worked with Everbridge Nixle trainers to understand the tools of the public broadcasting system before going live with the community notification system.
Questions may be directed to Chief Parker, eparker@oakharbor.oh.us. Residents may also call the non-emergency line, 419-898-2055.
As a Covid-19 precaution, the police department, 146 N. Church Street, is currently closed to the public. Staff will come outside and address anyone in need.