FAQs • City and County of Broomfield, CO • CivicEngage

What precautions are taken to protect personal contact information stored in the LookoutAlert system?

Personal information provided to LookoutAlert is private and only used to notify you for official Broomfield communications and emergency notifications. Your information is not used for marketing purposes and will not be sold to telemarketers or data-mining organizations. A variety of “opt-in” mechanisms are available to ensure that only the messages you want to receive are getting delivered via the devices and communications modes that you choose.

LookoutAlert utilizes the highest standards in physical and computer security technologies and conducts regular audits to ensure all information is kept secure. Privacy policies are also outlined in the Terms and Conditions you review when you sign up to receive LookoutAlert notifications.

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LookOutAlert

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1. Why should I sign-up for LookoutAlert?

When emergencies happen, be the first to know. Through LookoutAlert, emergency responders are able to send official, real-time alerts to the public with information about potentially life-saving actions they may need to take to keep themselves and their families safe.

As part of LookoutAlert, you can also sign up for Smart911, which allows you to create a safety profile for yourself and your household which is provided directly to 9-1-1 when you call 9-1-1 in the event of an emergency, allowing them to send the right responders to the right location with the right information. By signing up for LookoutAlert, you are taking a large step toward improving your personal safety.

2. How does the LookoutAlert system work?: When an emergency occurs that meets the criteria for sending out an alert to the public, emergency dispatchers will gather the necessary information and send out an alert to the affected area. Alerts can be sent out region-wide to everyone who has opted-in to the system, or to a specific area or neighborhood for more localized events.

3. How much does it cost?

This service is provided at no cost to the public; however, message and data rates may apply depending on your provider and phone services.

During the sign-up process you have the option to choose how you want to be notified and what types of alerts to receive. For any notification you choose to receive, you can specify whether you want text message, email, voice delivery – or any combination of these.

To avoid being charged frequent pay-per-text or pay-per-call fees by your phone service provider, you can select only the types of messages you prefer – for example, selecting email only as the delivery type – or opt-in for ‘emergency alerts’ (which are infrequent in typical usage).

4. Why was LookoutAlert implemented when we already had CodeRED?

Broomfield is always looking for new ways to improve the safety of our residents. With LookoutAlert in place, first responders have the ability to send a mass notification to landlines, cell phones and email addresses for residents who have opted-in with important information that could save lives.

LookoutAlert helps fill another safety gap within the Broomfield dispatch center. During large-scale emergencies, the 911 center can be quickly overwhelmed with a high volume of 911 calls received from the public. A majority of the 911 calls received during emergencies are not about life-threatening situations, but rather contain requests for information about what is going on during a crisis or emergency. By sending alerts directly to the public on their preferred devices, we will keep the public informed and at the same time reduce the number of 911 calls from residents not in immediate need of emergency services. Easily available and authoritative public information will improve the 911 center’s ability to keep phone lines open to respond to critical emergencies.

5. Can you guarantee that I will receive notification if I register for LookoutAlert?: While LookoutAlert is an excellent system, we cannot guarantee that you will receive notification in all cases. Disasters and emergencies are chaotic and unpredictable, and notification is dependent on external providers such as your wireless carrier or email delivery service outside of our control. LookoutAlert will use several means of communications to try to ensure that should any one communications method, technology, or delivery option be unavailable to reach residents, other methods will be used to improve the likelihood that residents will see the message.

6. How do I sign-up for LookoutAlert?: Signing up for LookoutAlert is easy. Sign up and register for LookoutAlert and enter your contact information.

7. When I signed up for LookoutAlert it says I already have an account.: LookoutAlert integrates with Smart911 platform, a 9-1-1 service available throughout our region, for which Rave Mobile Safety is the vendor for both products. This means that you can manage your information and preferences for both services through one account, accessible at either www.smart911.com or the LookoutAlert sign-up page.

8. Who can sign-up for LookoutAlert?: LookoutAlert is available to anyone who lives, works, travels through, or visits the City and County of Broomfield, Jefferson County, and the City of Westminster, Colorado. The address that you register can be your home location, work location or any other location you care about. For those who visit our area, but do not live or work here, pick the address of the location(s) you visit often.

9. Is LookoutAlert the same as Smart911?

While LookoutAlert integrates with the existing Smart911 service in our region, they are two services that each serve a unique purpose. Smart911 allows you to create a safety profile for yourself and your household which is provided directly to 9-1-1 when you call 9-1-1 in the event of an emergency, allowing them to send the right responders to the right location with the right information. This information could include medical history, allergies and medications, number of residents in a home and even a picture of the family dog can all be added to your safety profile.

LookoutAlert will ensure you receive emergency alerts from emergency responders through text, email or phone call. Rave Mobile Safety is the vendor for both LookoutAlert and Smart911.

10. I already have a Smart911 account, how do I sign up for LookoutAlert?: Login to your account at www.smart911.com and click on the Alerts tab at the top of the page.

11. I don’t have a Smart911 account but want to sign up for both services. How do I do that?: You can sign up for both LookoutAlert and Smart911 by visiting either www.smart911.com or the LookoutAlert sign-up page and creating an account. Be sure to add as much information as you want dispatchers to have in the event of an emergency to your profile. Click on the Alerts tab at the top of the page to ensure you opt-in to receive alerts from LookoutAlert.

12. Will I receive alerts if I don’t sign-up?: Residents in the coverage area who have a landline phone may receive alerts. However, there are strict rules governing when the JCECA can use this contact information to send out an alert. Only extremely critical alerts containing potentially life-saving information will be sent. In order to ensure that you are able to get all emergency alerts we recommend that you sign-up for LookoutAlert online. If you do not sign-up and register your contact information, you will not receive alerts on your preferred devices, and may miss out on receiving important safety information. Emergency communications may utilize other tools to notify the public but registering for LookoutAlert is the best way to get emergency notifications for your area.

13. What types of alerts will I receive?

Emergency alerts are sent 24/7 when there is an immediate threat to life and/or property. In addition to emergency alerts, you can also choose to receive customizable community notifications. These may include notifications about:

Severe weather
Safety risks
Health risks
Test messages

14. How will I identify incoming alerts?

All text messages sent from LookoutAlert are sent using five or six-digit numbers called “short
codes.” When you receive a text via a short code, you’ll receive a message from any of following
short code numbers: 226787, 67283, 78015, 81437, or 77295.

We strongly encourage you to save these numbers in your phone’s address book. Simply
create a contact called “LookoutAlert” and add the numbers above in the standard
phone number field. This way, when you receive an alert message, these will be more
recognizable as an official communication from the City and County of Broomfield.

15. Can I call the alert phone number back or reply back to the email?: You are not able to reply to texts or emails sent by LookoutAlert. Voice messages provide a dial-back number to replay an alert message and will direct you to a website address for additional information about the event.

16. When will I start receiving alerts?: Once you have signed up online at the LookoutAlert sign-up page and confirmed your contact
information within the system, you will begin receiving alerts.

17. How do I update or remove my notification preferences and contact information used by LookoutAlert?

Follow the below steps to change your LookoutAlert preferences (for example, to reduce the number of messages of a certain type, or to change the contacts used for each kind of message):

Go to the registration page for LookoutAlert
Login using your LookoutAlert username and password (If you’ve forgotten these, follow the instructions on the page under “Forgot Username or Password?”)
Once signed in, click the Alerts tab at the top of the page
Under ‘Notification Preferences,’ you can make changes to both the phone numbers and email addresses on which you want to receive LookoutAlert messages by clicking or unclicking the checkboxes
You can also choose what alerts you want to receive and the method you wish to receive them by (text, voice, email)
- For example, if you wish to turn off all messages regarding health risks, simply uncheck the box to the left of “Health Risks”
- If you wish instead only to receive emails for health risk notifications, instead uncheck the “Text” and / or “Voice” choices, so that only “Email” remains checked

18. How often will I receive alerts?

The frequency for which you receive alerts depends on the addresses you provide and the types of alerts you select to receive as well as the frequency of actual emergencies. Emergency alerts will only be sent when there is an immediate threat to life and/or property.

This system is not intended to bombard you with information. LookoutAlert will only send you alerts about the information you select to receive. To change your alert settings, login to the LookoutAlert registration page.

19. How does the LookoutAlert system respond to busy signals or no-answer situations?: If a call completes and is sent to your answering machine or voice mail system, a message is left. If a phone call is not answered or busy, the system redials your number several times.

20. If I am unable to make or receive calls or text messages during an emergency, will I still receive alerts from the LookoutAlert system?: LookoutAlert messages are more likely to be delivered to your devices than messages sent from local phone numbers during emergencies when telecommunication is down; however, receipt of LookoutAlert messages is not guaranteed. The vendor for LookoutAlert, Rave Mobile Safety, supports mass systems, including systems hosted outside of the state of Colorado, to improve reliability and redundancy while lessening reliance on local infrastructure that might be distressed during notifications via geographically redundant an event. Receipt of LookoutAlert messages may depend on your phone carrier and their cell phone tower operations, network connectivity, or other factors.

21. What if I receive a call at home and I am not there to answer it?: LookoutAlert will leave a voice message, if applicable.

22. What other safety and alerting systems should I sign-up for and be aware of?: If your residence is outside of the City and County of Broomfield, Jefferson County, and the City of Westminster, Colorado, you should sign up for the alert system that covers your area. You can also sign up for NOAA All Hazard Radios (NOAA Weather Radio), EAS Emergency Alert System (EAS) – Colorado Broadcasters Association, and WEA (Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) | Federal Communications Commission (fcc.gov))

23. Will my information be disclosed or shared?: No, your information is private and will not be used or distributed in any manner. The information that you provide is exempt from public disclosure and will be used for emergency purposes only.

24. What precautions are taken to protect personal contact information stored in the LookoutAlert system?