A new service will allow Bartholomew County emergency officials to warn anyone with a cell phone of life-threatening emergencies, even if they are from out of the area and have not signed up for local emergency alerts.

Emergency management director Shannon Cooke presented an agreement with the Federal Emergency Management Agency during Monday morning’s meeting of the Bartholomew County Commissioners to allow the county to take part in the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System. Cooke said that the service would piggyback on the existing Everbridge alert system, which allows the county to make automated phone calls, text messages and emails to those who sign up, warning them of emergency conditions such as weather alerts or missing children.

Cooke said that the new service would allow the system to identify those in a particular area and send them targeted alerts in the case of life-threatening situations. She said that could include thing such as a tornado warning or a criminal on the loose. It would use the geo-location function of cell phones to send the messages to anyone in the designated area using the same protocols as the wireless alert system that issues Amber Alerts.

The key difference being that it would identify any cell phones in the designated area to send alerts. For example, out-of-county attendees at a sporting event could be alerted if there was a tornado warning during a game.

It would also allow the use of NOAA weather radios for alerts and could be used to send messages over cable television.

Commissioner Tony London said that out of 85 thousand people in Bartholomew County, only about 27 thousand have signed up for Everbridge.

Cooke said that the service is being provided free of charge to the county. County emergency officials have already been trained in the use of the system and once their certification is submitted the service would be available. She estimated it would be available in about a month.

Commissioners approved the memorandum of understanding with the federal agency to allow the county to take part in the service.