BONNYVILLE – An app being used by the MD of Bonnyville’s Public Safety department is hoping to keep residents connected, informed and safe by providing up-to-date alerts that are relevant to MD residents, as well as for those living in the City of Cold Lake and Town of Bonnyville.
The Voyent Alert system will notify residents about road closures in their area, floods or fires, emergencies, utility interruptions, incidences of crime and eventually upcoming events involving public safety.
“It's similar to what you normally get from the Alberta Emergency Alert, or through a federal notification system,” Luis Gandolfi, the director of public safety and emergency management for the MD, told community members attending an RCMP townhall on Oct. 19.
“If there's a meteor or tsunami coming, you'll get a notification from the feds. If it's a tornado, you might get a notification from Alberta Emergency Alert. If it's on the smaller scale, something we're dealing with at the local level, you might get something from us through the Voyent Alert system.”
The most recent alert sent out through the Voyent app was delivered on Oct. 28, informing users that a White 2001 F550 Bucket Style Truck had been stolen from Bonnyville within the last 30 minutes. The alert notification included a photo of the stolen truck, the direction the vehicle was last seen travelling and the vehicle’s licence plate number.
The free app funded by the MD can be downloaded onto a mobile device or computer, however, registrants can also sign-up to receive landline alerts, emails, texts and even fax notifications, noted Gandolfi.
When signing up for Voyent Alert, residents will need computer and internet access. Residents that lack access to the internet can visit the MD administrative offices during regular hours to get help signing up for the alert system’s landline option.
“You won’t hear my voice, but it will be a digitized narrative of what's been typed in the release that will be read to you,” he explained.
The Voyent Alert system has been available to Bonnyville and Cold Lake residents for more than a year and currently has around 400 people registered to receive alerts.
A little over a year ago, only 100 residents region-wide had signed up for the alert system.
“Registration is anonymous, and no information volunteered or derived is shared or used for marketing or data harvesting purposes,” states the MD website.
Because the Voyent mobile and web app is regional, information gathered from a device’s location is only used to determine its proximity to an alert event and to provide critical context within the communications, such as distance and direction, indicates the website.
“One thing that we're doing that is kind of innovative with Voyent, is we are working with our local police detachments in Cold Lake and Bonnyville,” said Gandolfi.
By keeping up with crime statistics, the localized alert system could inform residents if there has been a string of breaks and enters in a specific area, the public safety director used as an example.
“Where there's an opportunity for us to share valuable information with the community and give the community the benefit of the fact that we are sharing information, maybe [residents] can safeguard their property as well,” he added.
“You don't want to really rely on Facebook, or social media, when you're trying to organize a reception center or you're trying to tell people what highways are about to be closed because there's a fire coming in. You want that information to come out to you in a reliable, credible manner. For the municipality, that will be done through the Voyent Alert system.”
Interactive app
The municipality’s Public Safety department is also welcoming residents to submit reports that are applicable to be disseminated through the Voyent Alert system.
This may include a missing dog or pet. If a resident has been a victim of crime, they can submit reports of large or high valued items that include a photograph of the missing item.
“I wouldn't send out an alert for a pair of sunglasses or something. But if you're missing a lot more and you have a photo of it – if you're missing a vehicle, if you're missing a bike, and you have a photo... we'll be happy to fan out on it,” added Gandolfi.
For more information on the Voyent Alert app, people can visit the MD of Bonnyville’s website or head directly to voyent-alert.com.
App users can also unsubscribe from the notification system at any time.
