DARKE COUNTY – County Commissioners gave a thumb’s up Monday for the Darke County Sheriff’s Office and the county’s department of homeland security to enter into an agreement with OnSolve to provide an emergency notification app to county residents.
The app, which will be usable on both cell and landline phones, will cost $12,100 per year and will be paid for by the county’s cell phone tax revenue.
The system will allow emergency personnel to send out alerts to those who download the app to their cell phones, in addition to calling those who register their landline phone numbers.
Cell phone alerts may be received via text messages or email.
OnSolve will assist by alerting residents during public safety situations, for example weather-related emergencies, missing persons, a shelter-in-place order and other issues that may require a mass communication to the public.
Melissa Hawes, Darke County 911 Coordinator, spoke to commissioners on Monday concerning the benefits of OnSolve.
“It’s the number one mass communication company in the country, which is why we are purchasing,” Hawes said.
The system allows for county officials to notify persons in targeted areas as well as the entire county, she explained.
Hawes said neighboring Randolph County in Indiana was currently using OnSolve.
Persons also may register to receive notifications of emergencies taking place in other areas of the country, for example, where relatives live or for travel purposes.
Chief Deputy Mark Whitaker also spoke briefly about OnSolve, noting it was “super easy to download.”
Interested individuals are invited to come to the Sheriff’s office at the fairgrounds during the Darke County Fair, Aug. 16-24, to receive information concerning OnSolve as well as help in downloading the app.