- Home
- Government
- Departments
- Public Safety
- E-911
- Scotland Alerts
Scotland Alerts
Scotland Alerts users will have access to emergency alerts including severe weather watches and warnings, public safety and emergency-related warnings, such as county-wide evacuation orders and other time critical notifications.
Scotland Alerts may be used to deliver notifications when trash pickup is changed or delayed, when water delivery is disrupted, and for distributing routine media releases and other non-emergency information.
Click here to register for Scotland Alerts now!
Users can choose which county and town lists they want to join when they are setting up and maintaining their profile. All alerts and notifications can be sent via text, email and/or a phone call, depending upon which method(s) the user chooses as a way to receive the information. Users are also encouraged to download the Smart911 application to their mobile device.
Sign up now to receive a variety of alerts, including:
- Severe weather watches and warnings
- Evacuation orders
- County-specific notifications
Due to the switch to a new service provider, individuals who are currently subscribed to emergency alerts with Scotland County will need to re-register with Scotland Alerts.
To receive Scotland Alerts notifications, simply click here to register and select your notification preferences in the new system. You will be prompted to input your first and last name, an email address and a physical address. Providing a physical address allows the system to deliver alerts to those in a specific geographic area.
Click here to register for Scotland Alerts now.
Click here for the user registration guide.
Once you have set up a username and password, you may log in to update your preferences by clicking the link above and selecting "SIGN IN" in the upper right corner of the window -OR- by visiting www.smart911.com, then clicking "SIGN IN" in the upper right corner of the window.
GENERAL QUESTIONS:
- What is Scotland Alerts?
Scotland Alerts is Scotland County's official emergency alert and notification system. This system is used to send alerts to the public during emergencies. Scotland Alerts is a free service that allows you to sign up online to receive customized alerts via text message, email, and voice message.
In addition to emergency alerts, you can also choose to receive customizable community notifications. These include notifications about severe weather, safety, health, utility disruptions, and more. This service is provided by Scotland County at no cost to the public; however, message and data rates may apply.
- Why should I sign-up for Scotland Alerts?
When emergencies happen, be the first to know. The Scotland County uses Scotland Alerts to send official, real-time alerts to the public with information about potentially life-saving actions they may need to take to keep themselves and their families safe. By signing up for Scotland Alerts, you are taking a large step toward improving your personal safety.
- How does it work?
When an emergency occurs that meets the criteria for sending out an alert to the public, the Scotland County’s emergency dispatchers will gather the necessary information and push out an alert to the affected area. Alerts can be sent out county-wide to everyone who has opted-in to the system, or to a specific area or neighborhood for more localized events.
- How much does it cost?
This service is provided by Scotland County at no cost to the public; however, message and data rates may apply depending on your provider and phone services.
- Can you guarantee that I will receive notification if I register?
While Scotland Alerts is an excellent system, we cannot guarantee that you will receive notification in all cases. Disasters and emergencies are chaotic and unpredictable, and notification is dependent on external providers such as your wireless carrier or email delivery service outside Scotland County’s control. Scotland Alerts will use several means of communications to try to ensure that should any one communications method, technology, or delivery option be unavailable to reach residents, other methods will be used to improve the likelihood that citizens will see the message.
SIGNING UP:
- How do I sign-up for Scotland Alerts?
Signing up for Scotland Alerts is easy! Go to alerts.smart911.com and register your contact information. To update your existing Scotland Alerts preferences, click here.
- Who can sign-up for Scotland Alerts?
Scotland Alerts is available to anyone who lives, works, travels through, or visits Scotland County. The address can be your home location, work location, or any other location you care about.
- I don’t own a computer – who can help me sign-up for Scotland Alerts?
You can visit your local library to sign up online for Scotland Alerts.
ALERTS:
- What types of alerts will I receive?
Emergency alerts are sent 24/7 when there is an immediate threat to life and/or property. In addition to emergency alerts, you can also choose to receive customizable community notifications. These include notifications about:- Severe
- Safety risks
- Health risks
- Special event information
- Test messages.
- Can I call the alert phone number back or reply back to the email?
You are not able to reply to texts or emails sent by Scotland Alerts. Voice messages provide a dial-back number to replay an alert message. - When will I start receiving alerts?
Once you have signed up online at alerts.smart911.com and confirmed your contact information within the system, you will begin receiving alerts - How do I update or remove my notification preferences and contact information used by Scotland Alerts?
Follow the below steps to change your Scotland Alerts preferences (for example, to reduce the number of messages of a certain type, or to change the contacts used for each kind of message):
- Go to the login page Scotland Alerts.
- Login using your Scotland Alerts username and password (If you’ve forgotten these, follow the instructions on the page under “Forgot Username or Password?”)
- Once signed in, click the ‘Preferences’ tab at the top.
- Under ‘Notification Preferences’, you can make changes to both the phone numbers and email addresses on which you want to receive Scotland Alerts messages by clicking or unclicking the checkboxes.
- You can also choose what alerts you want to receive and the method you wish to receive them by (text, voice, email)
- For example, if you wish to turn off all messages regarding Transportation Disruptions, simply uncheck the box to the left of “Transportation Disruption”
- How often will I receive alerts?
The frequency for which you receive alerts depends on the addresses you provide and the types of alerts you select to receive as well as the frequency of actual emergencies. Emergency alerts will only be sent when there is an immediate threat to life and/or property. Community notifications will be sent when the criteria for sending an alert are met.
This system is not intended to bombard you with information. We will only send you alerts about the information you select to receive. To change your alert settings, login to Scotland Alerts and edit your preferences.
- How does Scotland Alerts system respond to busy signals or no-answer situations?
If a call completes and is sent to your answering machine or voice mail system, a message is left. If a phone call is not answered or busy, the system redials your number several times.
PRIVACY AND CONTACT INFORMATION:
- Will my information be disclosed or shared?
No, your information is private and will not be used or distributed in any manner. The information that you provide is exempt from public disclosure and will be used for emergency purposes only.
- What precautions are taken to protect personal contact information stored in the Scotland Alerts system?
Personal information provided to Scotland Alerts is private and only used to notify you for official Scotland County communications and to support Scotland County’s emergency services.
Your information is not used for marketing purposes and will not be sold to telemarketers or data-mining organizations. A variety of “opt-in” mechanisms are available to ensure you are getting just the messages you want to receive, delivered via the devices and communications modes that you choose.
Scotland Alerts utilizes the highest standards in physical and computer security technologies and conducts regular audits to ensure all information is kept secure. Privacy policies are also outlined in the Terms and Conditions you review when you sign up to receive Scotland Alerts notifications.
For a PDF version of the guide, you may click here OR you can follow the steps listed below.
Follow these step-by-step instructions to create a Smart 911 profile and sign up for the new Scotland Alerts notification system.
- Navigate your web browser to the following link:
https://www.smart911.com/smart911/ref/login.action?pa=scotlandcountync - Click the green “SIGN UP NOW” button.
3. Enter the required information (denoted by an asterisk*), and include an email address if you would like to receive alerts via email and phone. There is no “GROUP CODE” for that space - please disregard. Read the terms and conditions, check the agreement box, and click the “CREATE ACCOUNT” button.
4. Now you can begin setting up a user profile. Entering your primary addresses (home, work, etc.) will help ensure that urgent messages that are applicable to a certain geographic area reach you in a timely manner.
5. The system may or may not recognize the address as you entered it and could suggest using a similar address that is more recognizable. If so, we suggest that you choose the recommended address after checking it for accuracy.
6. The system will need to confirm that the phone number you entered to receive alerts is valid. You can confirm the number via phone call right away or schedule the confirmation for a later time.
7. You will now choose which alerts you would like to receive and how you would like to receive them. You can choose to receive alerts by text, voice (phone call), or email.
8. You have the option to add additional information to your profile, such as your date of birth and a profile picture. To read about privacy, click here.
9. You should see which alerts you are signed up for in this space on your profile.
10. You have the option to add more information to your profile, such as emergency contacts, vehicle descriptions, fire hydrant location closest to your home, etc. This is not required but may be useful to public safety officials during emergencies.
11. You can also select in your preferences the option to share information with Scotland County, North Carolina to support emergency preparedness. This may be helpful if you have special medical needs or other considerations that should be known by public safety officials in the event of an emergency (if you need help evacuating, have service animals, etc.).
-
Samantha Dutch
Emergency Communications Manager
-
Jonathan Lemmond
Emergency Communications Assistant Manager
-
E-911 Communications Center
Physical Address
1403 West Blvd.
Laurinburg, NC 28352
Mailing Address
PO Box 1407
Laurinburg, NC 28352
Phone: 910-277-3231Fax: 910-276-1043Emergency Phone: 911