Thank you for your readiness to sign up for emergency notifications from KitsapAlert!

KCDEM encourages everyone who lives or works in Kitsap County to sign up for KitsapALERT and to invite friends and neighbors to do so as well. This Community Warning System (CWS) is only used to relay critical safety information in the event of a disaster or local emergency. Subscribers to KitsapALERT can opt to receive messages through text, phone call, or email. Be sure your smartphone has emergency notifications turned on.

KitsapALERT notifications could include:
  • Evacuate
  • Shelter in place
  • Stay out of the area
  • Turn on your radio for more info
KitsapALERT is not used for:
  • Standard weather updates
  • Road conditions
  • Traffic status messages
Other KitsapALERT examples are:
  • Active Shooter notifications
  • Potential Wildfire threat
  • Hazardous Materials exposure
  • Missing Person notifications
KitsapALERT emergency notifications will also be posted on:
  • The KCDEM web site
  • KCDEM Social media channels

While the registration page includes the vendor’s “Smart 911” branding in the URL and at the bottom of the page, this Smart 911/SmartPrepare system is NOT utilized by Kitsap County, our local 9-1-1 call center, or our first responder partners. To that end, we urge you to sign up for Community Connect which IS utilized by first responders in Kitsap County.

KCDEM is able to send out emergency notifications in a manner similar to Amber Alerts to cell phones in an impacted area. You must have the “emergency alerts” and “location” settings on your cellular device turned on to receive these notifications. The notification will provide basic information about the incident and required actions to protect life and property.

How KitsapALERT Works:

Across the nation, Community Warning Systems, like KitsapALERT, use the categories of urgency, certainty, and severity. These terms help the public make informed decisions when notified of a disaster or local emergency.

Urgency describes the time available to prepare.

Urgency could be:

  • Immediate: Responsive action should be taken immediately
  • Expected: Action within the next hour
  • Future: Action in the near future (typically 6-24 hours)
  • Past: No preparatory action needed
Certainty is the confidence that the event will occur.

Events could be:

  • Observed: Definitely occurred or occurring
  • Likely: Likely, although not certain
  • Possible: Possible, but not likely
  • Unlikely: Not expected to occur
Severity describes the intensity of the impact.

Severity could be:

  • Extreme: Extraordinary or large-scale threat to life and property
  • Severe: Significant threat to life and property
  • Moderate: Potential threat to life and property
  • Minor: Limited threat to life and property

Links to other Notification Systems in Kitsap County

Helpful Links

  • IPAWS ( FEMAS National Alerting System)