What is the CivicReady service?
The City of Newcastle has partnered with CivicReady (click here) to implement its mass notification solution.
The CivicReady solution will allow the City of Newcastle to issue urgent notifications, emergency instructions, warnings, and routine communications to subscribed citizens via email, text message, and voicemail alert, to keep citizens safe and informed.
In the event of a local emergency, citizens subscribed to CivicReady will benefit from immediate, actionable information and instructions sent via their preferred notification channel.
What types of messages will be sent using the service?
Any message regarding the safety or welfare of our community would be disseminated using the CivicReady service. Examples would include severe weather warnings and updates, hazardous traffic or road conditions inside Newcastle or affecting local routes, and any other situation that could impact the safety, property, or welfare of our citizens.
Does the CivicReady service replace other systems that have been used to provide time-sensitive information to residents?
This system is a significant enhancement to existing means of communication and is supplemental to, not a replacement for, the systems we have used in the past. Also, TV, radio and our Newcastle website ( cityofnewcastleok.com ) will continue to broadcast important announcements.
Will there be a way to positively identify incoming calls made using the system?
The caller-ID number for calls generated by the CivicReady service will be the same as the City Hall Office
number ( 405-387-4427 ). In addition, every message will begin with the same standard announcement. The message content will follow this standard introduction.
Will the CivicReady service work if I have a call screening system on my phone?
There are several varieties of call screening devices that use differing protocols for screening. In general, the system has been found to work with these devices. However, some may require some type of pre-programming to allow our Newcastle’s telephone number to pass through. We may conduct periodic test to assure that messages are being delivered to numbers in the notification database.