Cochise County emergency management urges residents to sign up for targeted alerts and Ready, Set, Go preparations

Daniel Deshawn, director of emergency management for Cochise County, told KWCD listeners the county uses multiple, targeted systems to notify residents about hazards and recommended signing up in advance so alerts follow a household wherever the phone has service. “We draw a map on our system and the alert only goes to where that where we've drawn the map,” Deshawn said.

Deshawn explained the mix of delivery methods the county uses: cell‑phone wireless alerts similar to AMBER or Silver alerts, automated voice calls to landlines through the emergency telephone network, Emergency Alert System breaks on radio and TV, and coordinated posts by public information officers. “We're the ones sending those emergency alerts, hitting your cell phones, your landlines, and all those messages that are standardized into social media,” he said.

The practical purpose, Deshawn said, is to give timely, location‑specific warnings for incidents ranging from wildfires to flooding and boil‑water advisories. He noted that, based on recent local experience, flooding has caused more home damage than wildfires in some years. He urged households to tie a phone number to an address so they will receive an alert for that home even while they are away, and to link a relative’s address to a trusted phone number so caregivers are alerted when help may be needed.

Deshawn reviewed the Ready, Set, Go framework adopted statewide through the Arizona Sheriff's Association. Ready means preparing in advance (plans for pets, prescriptions, paperwork); Set is a pre‑evacuation status when residents should be prepared to leave; Go indicates imminent danger and the need to evacuate immediately. “If you're in set status it would be good if you could leave,” he said, explaining that pre‑evacuation reduces congestion on roads first responders need to use.

To register, Deshawn directed listeners to cochise.myfreealerts.com, where users add an address and phone number and can select which types of alerts to receive; the county will distribute flyers with a QR code and PIOs will amplify messages on social channels. He acknowledged the county emergency management office is small — “we're the smallest department with just 2 people” — and said the systems are designed to reach people in as many ways as possible.

Deshawn also described some less obvious uses for the alert system, such as boil‑water advisories tied to potable‑water system repairs and coordination with the National Weather Service for weather warnings. He recommended that people who are uncomfortable with social media nevertheless sign up for the official alerts and, where appropriate, help older relatives enroll because the system uses two‑factor authentication in registration.

The information is intended as public guidance rather than new policy; Deshawn encouraged residents to sign up now to ensure they will receive targeted emergency notices when incidents occur.