Monrovia Fire Department May Soon Send Out Nixle Alerts

The Monrovia Fire Department will soon start sending out emergency notifications through the Nixle online communication system if the City Council approves a contract proposal on Tuesday.

The three-year contract would cost $29,985 and allow the department to communicate directly with residents through text alerts sent to mobile devices.

"Civilian communications are critical to an effective response, and over 85% of civilians can be reached instantly on their mobile phones by text message," a city council agenda reports reads. "In crisis situations, timely information saves lives and there is no more effective channel to quickly reach large populations than mobile text messaging. Nixle allows cities, like Monrovia, to reach civilians quickly by mobile phone and email using Nixle’s high performance messaging network, as well as the reverse 911 feature that City staff can use for mass land-line home communication."

The idea was inspired by the recent Madison fire and water main break that showed "regular updates with the community is vital," the report states.