Blog Post

ETCOG Contracts with New Vendor for Emergency Mass Notification System

Homeland Security Program • January 3, 2020

$85,123 Granted by Public Safety Program for East Texas Jurisdictions to Offer Citizen Emergency Alerts

person looking at cell phone
On December 11th, the ETCOG Executive Committee approved to fund a mass notification system for the East Texas region as a part of its public safety program for the tenth consecutive year. The system allows ETCOG to partner with cities and counties in East Texas to send messages quickly notifying citizens about emergency situations such as: 

  • Tornadoes and storm events
  • Drinking water contamination
  • Utility outage
  • Evacuation notice and routes
  • Missing person
  • Fires or floods
  • Bomb threat
  • Hostage or active shooter situations
  • Chemical spill or gas leak
  • Other emergency incidents where rapid and accurate notification is essential
ETCOG will begin a new contract this year with Rave Mobile Safety to provide mass notification system services. This service was previously contracted with CodeRED for the last nine years. Through the open procurement process, six competitive bids were received, and Rave was recommended to the ETCOG Executive Committee at its December meeting for offering new and improved service advantages. 

Rave Mobile Safety offers unlimited minutes/texting, and unlimited users of the system, as well as a new Weather Warning service which instantly and automatically alerts recipients based on weather in the area including type of weather, location, and severity. It also allows the user to provide over 50 different language translations when deploying a notification and use this across several social media platforms.

“We are very excited to begin our service with Rave Mobile Safety,” said ETCOG’s Public Safety Director, Stephanie Heffner. “The capacity to have unlimited minutes and unlimited users opens up the opportunity to partner with more jurisdictions in the region that may have not participated before. Also, we know many of our jurisdictions currently pay for weather warning services out of pocket, so we are happy to offer a cost saving opportunity with this new vendor.”

The Rave system has been contracted for the service area of Anderson, Camp, Cherokee Gregg, Harrison, Marion, Panola, Rains, Rusk, Smith, Upshur, Van Zandt and Wood counties. The new service agreement began Dec 13, 2019, and goes through Dec 12, 2020, for a total of $84,500 to be funded by ETCOG through a Homeland Security grant.  

All public telephone records in the region have been transferred to Rave Mobile Safety. However, cell phone users and individuals who registered online for notifications through CodeRED will need to register for the new system. In the coming weeks, existing customers will receive a notification with a link to register their information in the new Rave system to ensure they continue to receive emergency alerts. ETCOG is also coordinating with area Emergency Management Coordinators to update the opt-in information offered on their websites.  

For more information, contact ETCOG’s Director of Public Safety, Stephanie Heffner, at 903.218.6461.

A police officer is holding a microphone in his pocket.

Homeland Security, Criminal Justice Grant Funding Available for East Texas Public Safety Projects

By East Texas Council of Governments • December 19, 2024
State agencies, local governments, nonprofit organizations, universities or colleges, and federally recognized Native American tribes can soon apply for FY 2026 grant funds from the Office of the Governor, Public Safety Office , State Homeland Security Grant Program and Criminal Justice division. New and continuing applicants in ETCOG’s fourteen (14) county region are invited to attend FREE grant application workshops hosted by the ETCOG Public Safety division . Workshops for each grant category to be held virtually from December 18, 2024, through February 13, 2025. Grant funding will be available for the following programs: Homeland Security State Homeland Security Program – Regular Projects (SHSP-R) Law Enforcement Terrorism Prevention Activities (LETPA) Criminal Justice General Victim Assistance Direct Services Program (VOCA) Violence Against Women Justice and Training Program (VAWA) Juvenile Justice & Truancy Prevention Grant Program (SF-JJTP) Criminal Justice Program (DJ-JAG) “The goal is to improve public safety, support victims of crime, and assist jurisdictions by filling gaps in the region via funding that promotes innovative solutions to regional problems,” said ETCOG’s Public Safety Director, Stephanie Heffner. “We help applicants understand what needs to go into their grant applications and what they have to track once they receive funding from the state so we can successfully bring public safety projects to East Texas.” Workshops for Homeland Security will be held on the following dates: Wednesday, December 18, 2024 - 10:00 AM Wednesday, January 1, 2025 - 10:00 AM Wednesday, January 8, 2025 - 10:00 AM Wednesday, January 15, 2025 - 10:00 AM Wednesday, January 22, 2025 - 10:00 AM Wednesday, January 29, 2025 - 10:00 AM Wednesday, February 5, 2025 - 10:00 AM Workshops for Criminal Justice will be held on the following dates: Monday, January 7, 2025 - 2:00 PM Wednesday, January 15, 2025 - 10:00 AM Thursday, January 23, 2025 - 2:30 PM Wednesday, January 29, 2025 - 2:00 PM Workshops are mandatory if you plan to apply for funding. To participate in a virtual workshop for Homeland Security, visit www.pineywoods911.com/homeland-security . To participate in a virtual workshop for Criminal Justice, visit www.pineywoods911.com/criminal-justice .
A woman in a police uniform is standing in a park.

$3.4M in Public Safety Grants Approved for East Texas Region

By ETCOG Public Safety • December 17, 2024
The East Texas Council of Governments (ETCOG) announces $3.4 million in grants from the Governor's Public Safety Office awarded to East Texas jurisdictions and nonprofits.
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