Summit County public safety officials acknowledged issues related to the rollout of new technology for the local alert system, known as SC Alert, in a news release published Wednesday, May 14.

The Summit County Sheriff’s Office announced in April that residents and visitors would have to create new accounts to continue receiving alerts through SC Alert as the emergency notification system moved from the CodeRED platform to Everbridge.

As the new alert system has rolled out, residents in recent weeks have described mixed results with receiving alerts during public safety incidents. Summit County Sheriff Jaime FitzSimons said in the release that he and the emergency management team have heard the community’s feedback and concerns “loud and clear.”

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“As the designated authority for public alert and warning in Summit County, we want to acknowledge the frustration and confusion that many have experienced and assure the public we are working diligently to address inconsistencies that our community has experienced,” the release states. “Additional county-wide training is our highest priority, and we are actively working with our support team from Everbridge to iron out the remaining kinks in the system.”

The news release also reminds residents that SC Alerts has been using Everbridge for alerts since May 1, so those who have not signed up to create a new account will not be receiving the emergency alerts. To sign up visit SCAlert.org.

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Since rolling out Everbridge for SC Alerts, “we have encountered some operational breakdowns and miscommunications in the emergency alerting process,” that have “stemmed from “the complex learning curve of the new system and internal process gaps that require immediate corrective action,” the release states.

There have been significant challenges “in achieving consistency and continuity” with the new system because more than a dozen independent public safety agencies regularly work together to coordinate emergency responses in Summit County, according to the Sheriff’s Office. 

Issues with SC Alert since switching to Everbridge have included phone call alerts being flagged as “Scam Likely” and “the lack of adequate alerts and warnings in some cases, as well as the unacceptable volume and repetitiveness of other alerts,” the release states.

But the Sheriff’s Office urged the residents to be patient as public safety officials “fine tune this vital public safety tool” that is used to alert residents of wildfires, evacuations, lockdowns and other emergencies.

“The transition to Everbridge marks a significant advancement in our capability to deliver timely, accurate, and flexible emergency notifications to residents, visitors, and stakeholders across Summit County,” the news release states. “The Everbridge platform provides greater customization, improved delivery methods, and enhanced functionality, enabling us to respond more effectively in rapidly evolving emergencies. However, we recognize and sincerely regret that this transition has presented some challenges.”

Silverthorne gas leak response

On Tuesday afternoon, May 13, Jason Ardell was working from his home in Silverthorne when he suddenly heard a loud noise that he described as similar to someone opening an air compressor. 

When Ardell went to open the window, he saw a plume spurting at least 100 feet up into the air. About 20 minutes later, Ardell said he received an SC Alert notifying residents in a 500-foot area around North Golden Eagle Road and North Chipmunk Lane to evacuate due to a gas leak. He said his home was about 500 feet away from the leak, about one block away.

“When we got that (alert) and heard ‘this is a gas leak, leave immediately,’ my first reaction after grabbing the kids and running out the door was like ‘Why did it take so long to let us know about something this dangerous?” Ardell said.

Silverthorne communications director Kristina Nayden responded to those concerns Wednesday in an email to Summit Daily News. At the time of the gas leak, the “priority and focus of the Silverthorne Police Department was life safety,” Nayden said. 

As Summit Fire & EMS made the decision to evacuate, the Silverthorne Police Department and Summit Fire & EMS went door-to-door to evacuate people in the area as quickly as possible, “as this was the absolute top priority in this life safety situation,” Nayden said.

“Once in-person evacuations began, Silverthorne PD was able to contact the 911 Center to have an SC Alert sent about the evacuation area, so as to alert those not physically on scene in the evacuation zone,” she said. “Getting an emergency notification out to the community was of utmost importance, but in such a dangerous situation, letting those who were physically in the evacuation zone know was the top priority in this life safety situation.”

Ardell also raised concern about the number of SC Alert messages received within minutes of each other, noting that because “information was coming really fast,” he missed the alert notifying residents not to turn on or off lights out of an abundance of caution.

But Ardell added, “We are thankful for the alert systems. The instructions were clear. ‘Evacuate your house immediately.’ That’s really good.”

Nayden said that during the incident, the Silverthorne Police asked for four SC Alert messages to be sent: the first evacuation notice, an evacuation notice that was intended for just the evacuation area, the notice regarding electrical devices and the notice that the evacuation had been lifted.

Yet, residents received more than four phone call alerts. A Summit Daily News reporter’s phone showed 11 phone call alerts in a 15-minute span.

FitzSimons said that the multiple alerts were caused by a technical issue with the new Everbridge system. The Sheriff’s Office wrote in the news release that its “priority moving forward is to eliminate unnecessary messages, improve alert targeting, and ensure the system is both useful and minimally disruptive.”

Nayden added, “The Town of Silverthorne is working with the Summit County Office of Emergency Management to improve the notices sent during an emergency and appreciates the community’s patience and understanding during the transition to a new SC Alert system.”

Other recent incidents

During a wildfire in Frisco on Saturday, May 10, Summit Fire & EMS did not request that an SC Alert be sent out because there were no evacuations related to wildfire and the only major road closure was Interstate 70, which the Colorado Department of Transportation notified drivers of.

That is according to Red, White & Blue Fire Protection District division chief of wildfire and community preparedness Matt Benedict, who was filling in as the public information officer for that wildfire since the Summit Fire & EMS public information officer was out of town.

Benedict said that Summit Fire & EMS, as well as Red, White & Blue, have heard in the aftermath of the wildfire that residents would have liked to receive an SC Alert for it. He said the fire districts plan to do that in the future, and members of both districts are being trained to use the new system.

“We didn’t put one out because we weren’t evacuating anybody and we didn’t really have any road closures going on,” Benedict said. “But we’ve absolutely heard what the public has said, and we’ll make sure we get those alerts out next time.”

Then, on Wednesday, April 30, the Sheriff’s Office on Facebook notified residents in the Bill’s Ranch area of unincorporated Summit County near Frisco that those in the area should lock their doors and remain inside due to a manhunt.

FitzSimons explained this week that in that situation a deputy had requested a dispatcher issue an SC Alert, but that request “was not caught by the dispatcher.” He said once the Sheriff’s Office realized that an SC Alert had not been sent out, it immediately launched an internal investigation into what had happened so that alerts will be sent out in the future.

“This is not placing blame. It’s not pointing fingers,” FitzSimons said. “It’s just when emergencies happen and situations are dynamic, things can get missed. These things happen. Human error.”

What else should residents know about SC Alert?

Another issue that some Summit County residents have encountered is that their phones have flagged SC Alerts as potential spam messages, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

“We agree that this undermines the urgency and credibility of these communications,” the news release states. “Our team is actively working to implement a more reliable and recognizable caller ID structure for future phone notifications and will remove the need to acknowledge receipt of messages. This change will help eliminate repeat calls, texts, and emails.”

The updated SC Alert system allows two main types of alerts to be sent: Integrated Public Alert & Warning System alerts and community notifications delivered via text, email and phone calls, according to the news release.

The Integrated Public Alert & Warning System is a federal system that allows local public safety officials to push out emergency alerts, such as evacuation orders or shelter-in-place instructions to all cell phones, radios and televisions throughout the county, the release states. This ensures that potentially life-saving information reaches everyone in the affected area, including those that may not be signed up for SC Alert, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

SC Alert can also deliver more detailed and localized messages via text, email and phone calls to those who have opted in by creating an account, the release states.

Due to Summit County’s mountain geography and limited cellular infrastructure, alerts often must be sent to the entire county, even if the affected area is more limited, the news release explains. While not ideal, that ensures that those at risk receive timely, potentially life-saving information, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

“The nuances of emergency public alerting — especially in a place like Summit County —are more complex than a simple message can convey,” Summit County Director of Emergency Management Brian Bovaird said in a statement. “However, we welcome the opportunity to discuss the system, its challenges, and our ongoing efforts to improve it. Your feedback is essential to making SC Alert the most effective tool it can be.”