The City of Burnaby encourages all Burnaby residents, workers and visitors to sign up for “Alertable” to receive notifications about critical and potentially life-threatening emergencies in the city. Alertable is free, easy-to-use, customizable and allows users to sign up to receive emergency alerts through their preferred method of contact—home phone, mobile phone, text message or through the smart phone app. Burnaby is the latest in a growing list of BC jurisdictions to start using the Alertable public alerting system—including the cities of Vancouver, Surrey and Port Coquitlam, North Shore Emergency Management, Bowen Island and the Fraser Valley Regional District.
“Emergency management is a key pillar of Burnaby’s Community Safety Plan, which includes the need to prepare for, respond to, and recover from emergencies and disasters,” said Mayor Mike Hurley. “Having a public alerting system like Alertable gives the City a powerful tool to communicate with our citizens and visitors, and help keep them safe.”
Alertable users will receive “critical” alerts from every jurisdiction they sign up for. They can also choose to receive “advisory” alerts, which are notifications about events and incidents that have the potential to become more severe. Advisory alerts can also be issued to provide subscribers with local information about broader emergencies—such as the opening of local cooling centres during an extreme heat event.
Who should sign up for Alertable in Burnaby?
- Burnaby residents
- non-residents who work or attend school or other activities in Burnaby
- non-residents with family members living, working or attending school in Burnaby
- visitors who regularly pass through Burnaby
- residents of neighbouring municipalities (Greater Vancouver region)
What is a “critical” alert?
A critical alert is one concerning an emergency that is severe and potentially life threatening. Examples are:
- severe weather
- natural disasters, such as earthquakes, floods or wildfires
- industrial hazards
- other emergencies with the potential to impact many people
For more information about Alertable and how to sign up, visit www.burnaby.ca/alertable.
Media Contact:
Chris Bryan
Manager, Public Affairs
Public Affairs Office
604-570-3616 | [email protected]