Residents encouraged to register for Alertable to stay up to date during severe weather events or emergency situations

Cobourg, ON (January 12, 2024) – The Town of Cobourg has launched a new public notification system to improve communications with residents during significant events or service disruptions.

Alertable is a multi-purpose communication service used to send alerts to residents, businesses, and visitors during critical events as well as for relevant day-to-day communications, such as major service disruptions. With the Alertable notification system, the Town of Cobourg will be able to increase its ability in reach residents directly based on their preferred means of communication. The program has a free App that can be downloaded onto a mobile phone, tablet, or smart speaker (e.g. Amazon Alexa, Google Nest) or residents can also sign up to receive notifications via email or text message.    

“As we witnessed with the winter storm of 2022, severe weather can cause major damage, leading to power outages and the disruption of services” says Ellard Beaven, Cobourg Fire Chief. “The introduction of Alertable will improve the ability for residents and visitors to receive critical information from the Town.”

How to Register:

• Download the free Alertable app for iOS and Android smartphones and tablets by visiting Google Play or the App Store.
• Sign up for free email and SMS notifications or phone calls. 
• For additional applications such as Amazon Alexa or Hey Google, visit Cobourg.ca/fire

Personalize your Notifications:
With Alertable, you can register for emergency notifications based on your phone’s geographic location as well as your designated home address. Keeping you safe while travelling or allowing you to learn about what is happening at home even if you are out of town. Individuals can select the alert level they would like to receive (e.g. advisory, or critical alert notifications) as well as the type of alerts (e.g. Health based alerts such as air quality levels, natural disaster alerts such as earthquakes, or weather alerts such as wind, snow or extreme cold).

“It is our hope that every resident signs up so they can stay informed of situations happening in the Town of Cobourg, avoid dangerous situations and potentially even save lives,” says Chief Beaven.

In-Person Information Sessions with Town Emergency Planner:
The Town of Cobourg’s Emergency Planner, Adam Bennett will be hosting in-person information sessions to provide residents with information about Alertable and to assist them with registration. During the month of January, Adam will be available at the Cobourg Community Centre, 750 D’Arcy Street on Mondays from 8:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. and the Cobourg Public Library, 200 Ontario Street, Tuesdays from 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.  

Stay Connected with the Town of Cobourg:
Alertable provides a real-time update on all emergency notifications that are active in the community. During an emergency, in addition to Alertable, the Town of Cobourg will update the public via the following communications mediums.

• Public Notices – Cobourg.ca/news
• Facebook: @TownofCobourg
• X: @TownofCobourg