THE City of Vancouver announced on Thursday that it will use Alertable, a downloadable smartphone app, to provide public safety alerts to local residents, visitors and commuters when significant local emergencies happen.

This municipal-level public alerting system will enable timely distribution of information for urgent and severe emergency events affecting the City of Vancouver. The Alertable app is free, and can be downloaded to smart mobile phones, tablets, computers, or smart speakers.

“Staying informed is an essential component of personal emergency preparedness,” said City of Vancouver Director of Emergency Management Daniel Stevens. “Alertable is one of the fastest ways we can reach people. Now, more than ever, we need to be able to deliver important safety information to people in various ways.”

This app complements the City’s existing methods for notifying the public of emergencies, which include social media, local news media, updates to the City’s website and door knocking. The City of Vancouver may issue alerts for significant emergencies such as major fires and disruptive hazardous materials, where the public needs to take urgent action.

“Alertable is for anyone, at any stage of emergency preparedness. We encourage people to download the app so they receive alerts with clear and direct instructions on how to stay safe,” said Stevens.

For more information and to download the app, visit vancouver.ca/get-alerts.