A man looking at Voyent Alert on his cell phone.

Image Credit: SUBMITTED/Voyent Alert

The Regional District of the Okanagan Similkameen was in the process of transitioning over to a new mass notification system just as the Town of Princeton was dealing with severe flooding. 

It was decided several months ago that Civic Ready would be replaced by Voyent Alert as the region’s mass alert system, and the process was scheduled to take place in early December.

The timing happened to correspond with major flooding emergencies in Princeton, where residents were living without potable water.

Fortunately the new Voyent Alert system appears to be running smoothly.

“We’ve already been using the new system and it’s a great system, seems to be working very well,” said Erick Thompson, communications coordinator with the regional district.

READ MORE: Alert system in South Okanagan regional district getting replaced

In the planning phase, CEO of Voyent Alert Brian McKinney figured that late November and early December would be a “quiet” time of year to make the switch. 

“The transition could have come at a better time but we’re used to operating within little time frames,” he said.

While the software was prepared to launch in the Okanagan and Similkameen, Voyent Alert had to divert resources towards operations in Merritt, where residents were also dealing with major flooding issues. As part of the Thompson-Nicola Regional District, Merritt has had Voyent Alert in place since 2020.

Nevertheless, McKinney said they are getting close to completing the transition.

As of Nov. 30, 1,389 residents had signed up for Voyent Alert in the Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen. Those who were previously subscribed to Civic Ready will automatically be signed up for Voyent Alert.

In addition to the services it provides throughout emergencies, the app is also used to share rudimentary information like changes to the garbage pickup schedule or a bear spotted in town. 

McKinney said communities with the highest levels of engagement tend to use the app for fun events, like an outdoor movie night, treasure hunts, trail notices and farmers' market info.

READ MORE: Wildfire evacuees could have had more notice if B.C. had Alberta's alert system

Provincial and federal governments also have the ability to send out mass notifications, although that service – Alert Ready – is not voluntary and will deliver messages to every cell phone in a selected area, rather than just to those who download an app.

And while it seems like there may be a bit of overlap between regional districts and higher levels of government, McKinney doesn’t know if there is a one-size-fits-all solution.

“(Alert Ready) propagates to a much broader audience than those who have voluntarily registered onto an alert system,” he said.

Voyent Alert users can choose to receive everything including the mundane notifications, or they can apply limits so they are only alerted to emergencies. By allowing people to engage with the app as much or as little as they prefer, McKinney said the public won’t become desensitized to the messaging. 

He agrees that it’s important for the provincial and federal governments to be able to deliver mass notifications for large-scale events, but says regional governments are able to engage their citizens much more personally.

Also, Voyent Alert has more ways to connect with people who don't live within cell service, such as landlines and email. 

Those living in the Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen are invited to sign up for Voyent Alert and download the app for free. 

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