East Texas Council of Governments renews emergency alert contract

Jacksonville Progress
By Michelle Dillon Staff Writer
December 5, 2023

The East Texas Council of Governments renewed its contract with Rave Mobile Safety to provide the Smart911 mass notification system services. This system allows ETCOG to partner with East Texas’ city and county emergency management coordinators to send text messages, quickly notifying citizens about emergencies.

The $80,000 cost of the fiscal year 2024 service agreement is covered entirely by ETCOG and is being funded through a Homeland Security grant.

 “One of our five commitments to Jacksonville on our strategy map is planning and preparedness," the City of Jacksonville stated in a press release. "It is a top priority to ensure we are prepared for any disaster our community might face. RAVE is a critical component of our disaster readiness.”

The cities of Jacksonville and Rusk, as well as Cherokee County, participate in the Rave Mobile Safety program. Other locations covered by the ETCOG contract include Anderson, Camp, Gregg, Harrison, Marion, Panola, Rains, Rusk, Smith, Upshur, Van Zandt, and Wood Counties, as well as the cities of Athens, Marshall, Tyler, Wills Point, Hideaway and Longview.

The Jacksonville and Rusk alerts notify residents within their respective city limits.

Jacksonville has partnered with ETCOG to provide alerts since 2022 and Rusk began utilizing RAVE the following year. 

The notifications most often sent are for boil water notices, weather alerts, street closures and other emergency information is also disseminated using the system.

To register for Jacksonville alerts, visit jacksonvilletx.org/652/Emergency-Alerts.

To register for the Rusk alerts, visit smart911.com/smart911/ref/reg.action?pa=rusktx or use the link provided at the top of the City of Rusk Facebook page.

To sign up for Cherokee County alerts, use the link provided on the homepage of the county website, co.cherokee.tx.us.

To sign up for Smart911 Alerts for any of the ETCOG covered locations, visit www.etcog.org/alerts.