Dakota County Emergency Alert Program and Community Agency Alert Network
While I am sure many in the community already know about the Emergency Alert Program, or Everbridge as many call it, some of our newer neighbors might not. Dakota County also has the Community Agency Alert Network for organizations that serve special needs or limited English proficient individuals. So we would like to provide further information about these two free services and a little history of the Dakota County Communication Center.
The Dakota Communication Center (DCC) is a joint safety project that started in late 2005, with the facility opening in December 2007. This project partners 11 cities and Dakota County together. It also consolidated the five separate dispatch centers across the county into one centrally located facility. The 11 cities are Apple Valley, Burnsville, Eagan, Farmington, Hastings, Inver Grove Heights, Lakeville, Mendota Heights, Rosemount, South St. Paul, and West St. Paul. The DCC has 61 dispatchers and supervisors working 24/7 to dispatch for 11 police departments, 12 fire stations, and one sheriff’s office.
Emergency Alert Program
The Emergency Alert Program allows residences and businesses of Dakota County to self-register to receive time-sensitive targeted alerts for areas in an emergency that could affect one’s health or welfare. These alerts include but aren’t limited to severe weather alerts, road closures, evacuations of buildings or neighborhoods, or missing persons. The alerts can be set up so you receive a call or text on your cellphone or an email. Additionally, you can sign up to receive alerts for multiple locations if needed and add more than one contact to receive the alert if you would like.
Click on the following link to register today! Emergency Alert Program
Community Agency Alert Network
The Dakota County Community Service Division created the Community Agency Alert Network (CAAN) to help organizations or groups that serve people with special needs by giving them safety instructions so they can better take the appropriate action to protect their health and safety. This Network is encouraged for groups or organizations that work with the blind/visually impaired, deaf/hard of hearing, and people with limited English proficiencies.
For further questions about the Community Agency Alert Network, it is recommended to contact Amalia Roberts with the Dakota County Public Health Department. If you or your organization would like to sign up to be part of this network, you can go to the following link: Community Agency Alert Network