Building on its success registering residents for an emergency text alert system, the Deschutes County 911 Service District hopes to sign up visitors to receive public announcements of major incidents.

The three Central Oregon counties have used the Everbridge system for four years to send notifications of major events, like evacuations. Deschutes 911 recently bought a technology upgrade so visitors to Sunriver and Black Butte Ranch can receive tips about events, like low-hanging smoke, closed roads, missing person cases, prescribed burns and evacuations.

Back when every house had a landline phone, agencies relied on reverse 911 calls to notify residents of emergencies. But with the shift to cellphones, they’ve had to work harder to get residents to sign up for alerts, said Chris Perry, Deschutes 911’s interim operations manager.

“It’s an important public service to notify people of emergencies in their areas, and if we can’t reach them, we’re not providing the service,” he said.

The Deschutes Alert System has a service area covering Deschutes County, Crooked River Ranch and Camp Sherman.

Deschutes 911 now has 111,055 contacts who are registered. In the past six months, 2,383 new registrations have been added. In that same period, more than 2,000 people have updated their contact information, according to the district.

Deschutes 911 Director Sara Crosswhite encouraged people to register in the next two months.

“The numbers are improving, and as word gets out and fire season approaches, we’re trying to get the word with people,” she said.

For people with privacy concerns, Crosswhite said registration is anonymous and data received will not go to outside sources.

A proposed law now working through the Legislature could allow emergency responders in Jefferson and Crook counties to upgrade their aging analog radios to digital.

House Bill 2449 would increase taxes to fund emergency communications.

The new funds could allow agencies to lower taxes. But Jefferson County Sheriff Jim Adkins said he’d propose putting the money toward new radios.

“Like what they did in Deschutes County, but without all the problems they had,” Adkins said, referring to Deschutes 911’s recent conversion to a $5 million trunked radio system that an independent audit called a “failed effort.”

— Reporter: 541-383-0325, gandrews@bendbulletin.com