Daviess County officials are preparing to roll out a new emergency notification system that will allow residents to receive real-time alerts about severe weather, public safety incidents, and local disruptions.
Public Safety Director Jeremy Smith said the county has partnered with Regroup, a mass notification platform, to improve how information is shared during emergencies and day-to-day situations.
Smith said one key component of the system is its integration with the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS), a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) program that enables officials to send alerts similar to Amber Alerts directly to mobile devices in a targeted area.
“That would act kind of like an Amber Alert,” Smith said. “If you have your alerts on, you would get that in our area.”
While residents do not need to download an app to receive IPAWS alerts, Smith said downloading the Regroup app expands the system’s capabilities significantly. Users who opt in can receive customized notifications, including weather alerts from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), road closures, and other local updates.
“If we set it for tornado warnings, you’ll get an alert on your phone as long as you have it downloaded,” Smith said. “If we had a road closure and you were signed up for road closures, you would know that there’s a wreck and could reroute.”
The platform also allows officials to send highly targeted alerts. For example, Smith said the system can draw a geographic boundary to notify only residents affected by a boil water advisory or localized emergency.
“You can draw like a polygon on this thing, and it can only send the alert to that area,” he said.
In addition to mobile notifications, the system can distribute alerts through text, email, and even broadcast channels, providing multiple ways to reach the public.
Smith said the county has already approved the contract with Regroup, with Judge-Executive Charlie Castlen signing the agreement this week. Implementation will begin soon, with Smith scheduled to meet with company representatives to start building out the system.
The IPAWS component will take additional time, as it requires state approval and certification for designated personnel.
“That’s something you have to follow certain protocols because that’s a big deal when you set that off,” Smith said.
The initiative has been under consideration even before Smith took on his current role, but he said recent events helped highlight the need for improved communication tools.
“It definitely did spark it,” Smith said. “If we had something that we just had to blast out — something confirmed to be detrimental — this gives us that capability.”
Smith said the county will begin by promoting the app to residents, likely through QR codes and outreach efforts. Officials are also exploring ways to include sign-up information in utility bills to maximize visibility.
“We’re going to try to really watch that we don’t send out messages that are not relevant,” Smith said. “We don’t want people six months in to think something goes off all the time.”
He said the system is designed to grow over time, giving the county flexibility to expand its use while maintaining a focus on timely, meaningful alerts.
“The app itself gives us the platform,” Smith said. “That’s where you’ll begin to utilize a lot of those pieces.”
