Spokane County announces new ALERT Spokane system after debilitating cyberattack last year
It's getting harder to discern a scam text from a legitimate request from your local government.
Residents across Spokane County received a notification from ALERT Spokane last week asking the respondent to re-register for the emergency notification system, through which local public safety agencies notify people about developing emergencies, road closures and first responder activities in the area.
That request via text last week was legitimate. Spokane County announced Tuesday it has established a new agreement with Texas-based Regroup Mass Notification to operate the notification system, after a cyberattack against the county's former provider last year ruined notification networks throughout the country, as previously reported by The Spokesman-Review.
The county used Crisis24's OnSolve CodeRED platform to host ALERT Spokane from 2017 until last November, when hackers gained access to the company, causing enough damage and a large enough data breach to prompt the company to decommission the subsidiary legacy platform entirely.
Without CodeRED, Spokane County agencies relied on state and federal notification systems to reach residents, and had to run potential alerts up the chain to be issued, rather than issuing alerts themselves.
That era has come to an end. The Spokane County commissioners approved the Regroup contract in February, agreeing to pay the company $177,500 for a three-year term. Regroup's technology and systems allow agencies throughout the county to send notifications via text, email, mobile app and voice call, similar to how the service has always functioned.
Using Regroup, county officials and 911 dispatchers will now be able to create real-time, interactive maps in the event of an evacuation notice, said Simone Ramel-McKay, the county's alert and warning program manager. Spokane County Emergency Management will work with Spokane County Emergency Communications to bring those maps to fruition when needed.
"They helped us evaluate the system, and they are also really excited about it," Ramel-McKay said. "It's more advanced, and they can do much better at preparing for wildfire season."
The cyberattack destroyed data specific to Spokane County, meaning those registered through the old system will need to re-register to ensure they receive ALERT Spokane notifications moving forward. Some, but not all, of the registered users on the old platform transferred over, Ramel-McKay said.
Spokane County residents can register for the first time, or again, through alertspokane.org. Ramel-McKay said not to worry about duplicate registrations as they will be weeded out by the system.
"If people re-register, it will de-duplicate once an alert goes out," Ramel-McKay.
Ramel-McKay said the Regroup system also allows for polling, a function she intends to test in the coming weeks by asking registered ALERT Spokane members to confirm whether they would like to stay part of the system.
For example, a former Spokane County resident who has since moved away may be able to respond via text with "2" or "no" to no longer receive notifications.
Chandra Fox, deputy director of Spokane County Emergency Management, said in a news release the system will allow for direct and immediate communication with county residents "when it matters most."
"ALERT Spokane strengthens our ability to provide the best possible alerting capability for Spokane County and ensure residents receive timely information they can act on to protect themselves and their loved ones," Fox said.
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