With a new emergency alert system, Butler County residents have a new way to receive updates

Cell phones go off all day, but now, Butler County Emergency Services has a new emergency alert system. And it comes with a "no-nuisance" promise.

The new alert system is called Regroup.

"When you get an alert from Regroup, from us, it is truly an emergency," said Steve Bicehouse, the director of emergency services for Butler County. "We don't use it for fairs, festivals, road closures, water main breaks, we won't use it for that."

That means emergencies like 911 outages or extreme weather. 

He said the county switched to it after the old alert system, CodeRed, had a national cybersecurity incident. 

"Data that we had in the previous system was all lost," said Bicehouse.

Now, out of three options the county considered, Regroup got its pick. It has the most bells and whistles, which can be set up specifically for those who live in Butler County and are selective to life-threatening situations.

"We can target alerts to a specific area," said Bicehouse. 

"Maybe an area around a chemical plant where they have a chemical release. We can use it for that to let people know, 'Hey, maybe shelter in place or you need to evacuate,'" he explained.

It's direct and necessary information, said Bicehouse, in a time of alert fatigue.

"Accurate information is key. It will absolutely help them to have the knowledge to keep themselves safe."

To sign up, open the website at this link, create a profile, choose how you want to be notified, and don't forget to add your physical address.