[Updated March 24/16 - To include direct website links to the Central Saanich Fire Department.]
A new rapid notification system has been launched for the Central Saanich Fire Department to give those in the community the chance to know about emergencies sooner rather than later.
The Department put together a report last year through Royal Roads University, which identified that they didn’t have anyone on staff to notify the public in the event of a disaster. Now, a mass notification system will do that for those people who register for the service. Rapid notify is attached to the District website under the heading: Fire Department and Emergency Planning.
“So the system is a self-register,” explained Central Saanich Fire Chief Ron French. “People go onto the website, they click on the rapid notify button and they enter in their information and their phone numbers and contacts and emails.”
In the event of an emergency, the Department would then send a message out to those members, saying that something has happened in a particular area. The services give individuals several different ways of being informed, like through their iPhone, computer, or more.
“So it’s run through our emergency operation centre,” French continued. “Someone would send it out from there just to notify people.”
French added that when people self-register, the Department is then given approval to go ahead and send them the message.
The system is live and people can now go to the website and register. If anyone has questions, they can call the fire department for more information at 250-544-4238.
There are two ways people can register. Visit centralsaanich.ca and then click on the Central Saanich Volunteer Fire Department and then it will link to the website. People can also go to the website directly — csfire.ca — and look for "Sign up for Rapid Notify" link.