Notification System Gives County Emergency Responders Vital Link to The Community

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System may come in handy during floods, which the valley has seen a lot of in recent months Photo By: Tim King

(SALEM) - Marion County emergency response officials now have a tool to help notify the community of vital information regarding public safety or to notify citizens and businesses of an emergency situation.

The system dubbed as County Watch affords law enforcement and other emergency response organizations the ability to send urgent messages out to a particular neighborhood, an entire city, or to an area, large or small.

Marion County Sheriff spokesman Kevin Rau says information is sent using a recorded voice message, to home phones, fax machines, alpha numeric pagers, or e-mail.

County Watch can also be used to notify off duty personnel to report to work in an emergency or to conduct neighborhood or community surveys on crime and public safety issues Rau said.

While the Sheriff`s Office owns, operates and maintains the system, it will be made available to other emergency response agencies within the county should they request to use it.

The sheriff`s office prides itself on being a leader in the Mid-Willamette Valley in applying new and innovative law enforcement and emergency response technology.

Sheriff Raul Ramirez said "We owe it to the community we are sworn to protect to be proactive by keeping them well-informed and safe at all times. County Watch will be a vital link to the citizens of Marion County when an emergency arises."