• Berks Alert Public Notification System
• Berks Special Needs Survey
Emergency Management Services in Berks County are provided by the Berks County Department of Emergency Services. Berks DES coordinates efforts to ensure that the County is able to mitigate, prepare for, respond to and recover from any type of natural or man-caused disasters. Some of the services DES provides to the citizens of Berks County include:
- Preparing and maintaining the Berks County Emergency Operations Plan (EOP)
- Managing the Berks Emergency Operations Center (EOC)
- Providing emergency planning in such areas as special needs, continuity of operations and emergency operations
- Conducting emergency exercises in coordination with local, state, and federal agencies
- Assessing local needs and supporting local response agencies with timely, effective deployment of resources
- Assisting the citizens of Berks County to become better prepared for a disaster
To learn more about how Berks County DES supports the citizens of Berks County, click here (link to Berks DES).
In addition to these services, the Berks County DES serves as a member of the East Central Task Force (ECTF) Executive Board. In collaboration with the Emergency Management Coordinators from the seven counties (link to about ECTF) of the ECTF Region, the Berks County EMC oversees the financial and programmatic aspects of the Homeland Security Grant Funding allocated to the ECTF. The ECTF Executive Board and its committees have worked across jurisdictional and disciplinary boundaries to enhance both the entire ECTF region and Berks County’s ability to prevent, respond to and recover from acts of terrorism and major disasters.
Through the cooperative efforts of the ECTF, two important Emergency Preparedness tools are now available to the citizens of Berks County. They are the Berks Alert Public Notification System and the Special Needs Survey.
Click here for Berks County Department of Emergency Services.
Berks Alert Public Notification System
What is Berks Alert?
Berks Alert is a mass notification system used by Berks County to issue emergency messages to immediately and directly contact you during a major crisis or emergency. In case of emergency, County officials can use Berks Alert to send important information to you by email (work, home, or other), cell phone, pager, or smart phones. Because of the power of Berks Alert, notifications can be made to thousands of people within minutes of the system being activated.
People who live and work in Berks County can register (use word register to link to Berks Alert page). From the registration page, follow the directions to create an account and add or update your information.
Register for Berks Alert Here
Special Needs Survey
What is the Special Needs Survey?
The Special Needs Survey (SNS) Tool is an effort by county government to better identify those in our community who are most at risk during a disaster. In the emergency management field, these individuals are designated as part of the “special needs population”. Special Needs individuals are those who are likely to require assistance in excess of that provided to the general public in a time of disaster, particularly in the event that large scale evacuation is necessary. This could include those who are deaf, blind, bedridden, mentally impaired, without radio or television, or lacking transportation necessary to evacuate.
The intention of this tool is to get our special needs population “on the radar” so that community officials can make decisions about how to best assist them. The tool is a web based data collection device for these individuals.
For more Information on the Berks County Special Needs Survey or to Register click here