Anyone who was in a three-mile radius of the Community Kitchen in Chattanooga on Saturday night likely received a public safety alert about a missing individual.
The public safety alert is generated through a system called IPAWS.
The Integrated Public Alert Warning System is used in any event where there is a threat to public safety in Hamilton County.
In Hamilton County, Emergency Management and 911 Center Dispatchers have the ability to push out public safety alerts to cellphones.
“We just don't use it on a regular basis. If we used it all the time, people would not take it as seriously,” Amy Maxwell said.
Amy Maxwell is the Public Information Officer for Hamilton County Emergency Management Services.
She said the alert is pushed when there is a threat to public safety in our area.
“In the event where we would have severe flooding, the potential for severe flooding, severe weather whether that a tornado working or a watch. We have had to use it for evacuations during wildfire season. We have had it for an active shooter, it could be for an emergency child abduction, it can be used for a blue alert,” Maxwell said.
Regardless if you live in the area or are traveling through, Maxwell said people in the immediate area or near a public safety threat will receive an alert.
"We don't want everybody to receive it because you don't have to sign up for this system. So, if we notify 365,000 people who live in the city in the county of Chattanooga, not everybody is going to receive it at the same time. It is like putting 365,000 people through a funnel, it takes time for everyone to come through the funnel system,” Maxwell said.
If you don't have your emergency notification on, you will not receive it.
“I know a lot of people turn it off because they don't want to be notified in the middle of the night for an amber alert,” Maxwell said.
“It is very important that you do turn on those notifications. It is very easy to do on your device under your general settings,” Maxwell added.
