Union County approves cheaper emergency alert system for residents

Union County residents will start relying on a new mass-notification system that county leaders say can reach more people, more quickly, and for less money than the old one. Commissioners approved a three-year contract with Hyper-Reach of Saint-Laurent, Quebec, at Tuesday’s public meeting, locking in emergency alerting services at $10,955 a year through May 18, 2028.

The switch is meant to improve how the county warns people about weather events, public-safety incidents and other urgent situations that require fast notice. Hyper-Reach says its platform can send messages by phone, text, email, social media and Alexa smart speakers, giving officials a broader way to push out evacuations, road closures and other time-sensitive instructions.

That broader reach fits the way Union County already handles emergency work. County Emergency Management operates under the National Incident Management System, and the county is part of the North Central Taskforce, a seven-county regional disaster-planning entity. County commissioners are responsible for emergency services and 9-1-1 communications, which makes the alerting contract a central public-safety decision, not just a technology purchase.

Hyper-Reach also says its system supports targeted alerts, alert-area selection and real-time feedback and reporting, tools that could help county officials narrow warnings to the people most likely to be affected. Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency says emergency alerting is designed to get the word out quickly and efficiently when seconds count, underscoring why counties continue to invest in multi-channel warning systems.

The county’s move was also a budget decision. The new contract costs less than Union County’s previous system, though the savings were not spelled out in the meeting material. Earlier local reporting had also shown the county weighing other options, including a one-year Regroup contract recommended by EMA director Julie Erway at $9,000, suggesting officials had been comparing vendors and costs before settling on Hyper-Reach.

Commissioners Preston Boop, Jeff Reber and Stacy Richards also handled other business in the same meeting, including clearing a warehouse project in Gregg Township, accepting the resignation of an adult probation officer, hiring a replacement and naming a county representative to the statewide America250PA commission. But for most residents, the alert contract is the item that could matter fastest the next time severe weather, a crash or another emergency calls for immediate warning.