Centre County Switching to New Emergency Alert System

Centre County is switching to a new emergency alert system for residents to start 2025.

As of 12 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 1 the county will use Rave Mobile Safety for emergency notifications. The county’s previous contract with CodeRed expires at the end of the day on Tuesday, Dec. 31.

Residents who wish to continue receiving emergency alerts — such as severe weather warnings, evacuation orders, missing persons, active shooters, shelter in place orders and wanted fugitives — or sign up for the first time must register at https://www.smart911.com/smart911/ref/reg.action?pa=centrecountypa. A text message-only option is also available by texting ALERTCENTRE to 67283.

Enrollment is free and voluntary.

Centre County’s Board of Commissioners in October approved a five-year contract with Rave, a Motorola Solutions company, for $23,250 annually. A $10,000 insurance grant will offset some of the cost.

The system, which will be available for notifications from Centre County 911, Emergency Management and Risk Management, will provide “timely and targeted messages to the general public to enhance emergency preparedness and response,” Emergency Communications Director Norm Spackman said.

“This is a much easier software to operate,” Spackman said in October. “Three clicks and we can make a notification. We went through many demos and this was the system we chose.”

The system is able to target messages to specific municipalities or geographical areas, Spackman added.

Board of Commissioners Chair Mark Higgins cited sudden flooding caused by a microburst in late August in Millheim as an example of the need for timely and targeted alerts.

“With the much more severe weather we’ve been having, a lot of folks are just discovering that the county government is your first line of defense during a major weather event,” Higgins said in October.