Northbrook’s emergency alert system is an “opt-in” system to connect resident/business addresses with email, cell phone, and landline so that the Village’s 911 dispatch center can notify those who have registered (aka opted-in) about critical situations which at times may impact only a limited geographical area.

Unlike a school, where parents register students – and their emergency contacts – before they attend each year, local government does not require every household or business to “register” their emergency contacts annually.  Water service, which is a requirement, can be paid by a landlord of a household or business that is not in the community and therefore, may not want information about a critical situation.    To be sure you are covered at your home address and your work address, make sure you opt-in by registering with your address and all of the following which you use: email, cell phone and landline. Register at www.northbrook.il.us/northbrooknotify

Emergency Alerts from the Village of Northbrook include:

• Severe Weather (such as a tornado warning)
  All registered notification options
• Weather impacting parking due to snowfall  
  Only text and email notification options
• Public Safety Emergency when there is an active threat with an urgent need to communicate (such as search for endangered person or an active search for vehicle)
  All notification options
• Annually system wide test each September for emergency preparedness month
  All notification options

Emergency Alerts are limited in the total number of words that can be shared. Therefore, formal rules of grammar are not used.

Effective November 28, 2022, anytime a Northbrook Emergency Alert is issued:

• All notification options will be selected for notification. These include email, phone call, and text message if selected by registrant (excluding snow parking bans).
• The same Emergency Alert will be shared on Northbrook Police social media sites (Facebook and Twitter)
• Geofencing (address targeted notifications) will be used for emergency notifications when the public safety situation warrants.
• Geofencing is not used for social media and therefore, in cases where geofencing is used for targeted emergency notification, the same information will be placed on social media providing community wide information.
• The Village will develop technology to post its social media feed on the Village website as well.

The Northbrook Emergency Alert system is not used for:

• Marketing/promoting events and activities
• Sharing information on trends in crime

It is noted that the Northbrook Emergency Alert system is separate from the State of Illinois and Federal Emergency Alert System which allows broadcast stations, satellite radio, cable systems, Direct Broadcast Satellite (DBS) systems, participating satellite companies, and other services to send and receive emergency information quickly and automatically, even if their facilities are unattended.