WASHINGTON COUNTY, Utah – Emergency officials in Washington County Urged residents Wednesday to opt-in to texted safety alerts and vaccination announcements.

The alerts were created to be brief and timely alerts sent directly to your cell phone to warn of wildfire activity and other natural disasters.

The alerts were critical last summer when wildfires threatened homes, businesses, and roads including I-15.

Sign up for Emergency Alerts @ https://t.co/NYP3RczzJk Receive alerts for emergencies and other important community messages by signing up for the Citizen Alert System for Washington County, Utah…. https://t.co/ZVB1aSADi9

— Washington County UT (@washcoutah) July 3, 2018

“Being aware of active safety incidents and steering clear of them not only keeps individual members of the public safe but protects society at large because first-responders can then neutralize threats more quickly,” Jason Bradley, Emergency Operation Manager for Washington County Emergency Services said. “Just by being aware, the public can be a great help to first responders.”

A news release said Washington County Emergency Management Services is working with the Southwest Public Health Department to get out the word about upcoming COVID-19 vaccine availability through the same safety alert notifications system.

You can sign up for safety alerts by texting “WASHCOES” to 888777. You can sign up for vaccination alerts by texting “SWUHEALTH” also to 888777.

Residents can opt-out anytime.