Behind the Badge
Disasters often occur with little or no warning.
A wildfire or an earthquake for example may force road closures, evacuations and power outages
The Fullerton Police Department wants the public to be prepared and is encouraging residents and business owners to register with AlertOC, the county’s mass-notification system.
Essentially a reverse 911 system, AlertOC sends out notifications and instructions to the public regarding any required actions such as an evacuation.
The notifications can be received by the public on landlines, on cell phones via calls and texts and by e-mail.
“Public mass notification systems have become a critical component of emergency preparation and response,” the county wrote in a statement.
On Sept. 22, AlertOC will send out a test call to more than 2 million OC residents in 28 cities including Fullerton.
The seventh annual drill is designed to replicate a large-scale, multijurisdictional emergency requiring thousands of numbers called simultaneously.
“The primary use of the system will be to disseminate messages pertaining to the health, safety or welfare of a community that is being affected by a perceived, emerging or imminent emergency event,” the statement said. “Authorized officials record a voice, e-mail or text message that is then delivered quickly to individuals in the notification system.”
Multiple contact methods can be registered with AlertOC, even numbers outside of Orange County.
AlertOC is sponsored and led by the County of Orange in partnership with several OC cities.
For more information or to register phone numbers and e-mail addresses, go to, AlertOC.com
