We sit down with Houston County Fire Chief and EMA Director Christopher Stoner to unpack the Houston County's move from CodeRED to Houston Alerts/Perry Alerts, and how smarter technology makes Perry and Houston County safer while cutting the noise.

We walk through the RFP that led to Rave, the benefits of pairing with existing Motorola systems, and why usability is a lifesaver when you need to launch an alert from the field. Chief Stoner explains how precise geofencing lets teams draw a polygon around an affected neighborhood for a hazmat incident, tornado warning, or boil water advisory, so people outside the area aren’t jolted awake. 

 You’ll learn how re-registering modernized an outdated database and put residents in full control of the information they receive, including emergency weather, public safety alerts, trash delays, water service updates, and community events, as well as how they receive it, whether by call, text, email, push notification, or Alexa. 

We cover Smart911 privacy safeguards, what data is useful for first responders, and how local caller IDs and familiar emails help people trust the messages they receive. Most importantly, we make a case for why local alerts beat generic weather apps: polygon-level accuracy for your address, not countywide alarms that don’t apply to your block.

Ready to tailor your notifications? Sign up through houstoncountyga.gov or the City of Perry website, choose only the updates you want, and set how and when you want to be reached. 

If you need help, call 478-542-2026 and the EMA team will guide you. 

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Visit us at perry-ga.gov.

We hope to see you around in our amazing community...Where Georgia Comes Together.