Sign Up for Emergency Alerts
BaltCo Alert is Baltimore County’s official emergency alert system that is designed to enhance emergency preparedness and notify residents and businesses in Baltimore County of emergency situations that may require time-sensitive actions.
The system sends a written and recorded message via call, text, and email to Baltimore County homes and businesses, providing safety information or instructions. The emergency notification system has been used in Baltimore County for severe weather, hazardous materials spills, widespread utility outages and more.
BaltCo Alert is an opt-in system, which means that residents must sign up with an address and contact information to receive alerts. Those who do not sign up for the system will not be able to be reached by this system during a disaster. Those who signed up for the ENS system previously should create a new account and update information to ensure we have accurate resident address and contact information.
- Residents who wish to be notified of emergency information such as evacuations, shelter-in-place notices or severe weather information.
- Employees who work in Baltimore County and wish to be notified of emergency situations.
- Parents with children in the Baltimore County Public School system who wish to be notified when emergency situations occur near schools.
Participants may return to the Self Registration page using a secure login to update personal contact information as often as needed to ensure data accuracy.
You can register multiple numbers and addresses to your account to cover home, work, or school, as needed.
Only public safety issues requiring immediate notification will be sent by BaltCo Alert.
Your phone number is only used for emergency notifications and is kept locally. We do not sell or distribute any of your information for any purpose not directly related to emergency notification.
CALL SCREENING
If you have call screening and interception to discourage telemarketers, you may or may not receive the notification. If your telephone system simply requires a valid caller ID, we will get through. Your caller ID will identify the phone call as coming from Baltimore County. However, if your telephone setup blocks or intercepts a caller and waits until the call is accepted, BaltCo Alert will not be able to get through. During a community disaster, please consider disabling such blocking.
REMOTE LOCATIONS
BaltCo Alert is geographically based. If you live in a remote area and your location is somewhat difficult to find, please consider using the Self Registration to show where your location really is.
Note: Post Office Boxes will not work for BaltCo Alert.
POWER OUTAGES
If your power goes out and your telephone is “corded,” meaning a telephone powered by a phone line, you will still receive a notification phone call. If you have a cordless phone, it will work as long as the base unit has battery or backup power. If you are you are using a cell phone, your cell tower may be affected.
SELF REGISTRATION
To register, you must have a valid email account. Because of the unforeseen nature of some large-scale emergencies, no one can guarantee you will receive a notification every time.
Because disasters can cause power and communication interruptions, we recommend having three different methods to receive emergency information. Other ways to receive emergency information include:
- NOAA weather radio
- Wireless emergency alerts (built into phones)
- Emergency apps, including the FEMA app
- AM/FM radio
- Television
Please stay informed by monitoring other public safety warning and information systems.
Baltimore County does not have weather sirens. During an emergency, the County will share information on Twitter @BaltCoEmergency, the Fire News blog and other social media.
TERMS OF USE AGREEMENT
By accessing the ENS site or other Internet sites through links provided by Baltimore County, Maryland, you agree to all terms, conditions, and notices contained or referenced herein (the Terms of Use). If you do not agree to these Terms of Use, please do not use the ENS site. We reserve the right, at our discretion, to update or revise these Terms of Use. Please check the Terms of Use periodically for changes. Your continued use of the site following the posting of any changes to the Terms of Use constitutes acceptance of those changes.
In order to register, you must agree to the Terms and Conditions below.
USER TERMS AND CONDITIONS
In order to register and participate in the Emergency Notification System, you hereby agree to the following terms and conditions, which Baltimore County may update from time to time without notice to you.
That the Emergency Notification System is intended solely for the benefit of individuals who live, work, own property or attend school within Baltimore County, Maryland.
That the information you provide is true, accurate, current and complete. You are solely responsible for maintaining the accuracy of the information you provide. If you provide information that is untrue, inaccurate, not current or incomplete or the Emergency Notification System Administrator has reasonable grounds to suspect that such information is untrue, inaccurate, not current or incomplete the Emergency Notification System Administrator has the right to terminate your account.
That the Baltimore County Government officials and employees are not guaranteeing that you will receive notification through the Emergency Notification System in the event of an emergency.
That Baltimore County does not make any warranty, express or implied, or assume any legal liability or responsibility, whatsoever, for the accuracy, completeness or usefulness of any information it provides through the Emergency Notification System, or for your registration and participation in the Emergency Notification System.
That you, on behalf of yourself and your heirs, administrators, executors or assigns, hereby release and forever discharge and hold harmless Baltimore County, the Baltimore County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, their officers, directors, managers and employees from any claims, demands, damages, injuries or causes of action whatsoever which may arise as a result of your registration or participation in the Emergency Notification System.
That Baltimore County reserves the right at any time to modify or discontinue, temporarily or permanently, the Emergency Notification System (or any part thereof) with or without notice.
In addition to the Terms and Conditions above the Baltimore County User Terms are included by reference and can be reviewed.
Agreement to Rules of User Conduct
You agree to abide by the Baltimore County, Maryland Terms of Use, including but not limited to, agreeing not to use the Site for any unlawful purpose. A copy of the Terms of Use, which you should review can be found above. If you are a student,volunteer, employee, contractor officer and/or agent of Baltimore County, Maryland you also agree to abide by any applicable policies, practice, procedures of guidelines applicable to your use of this Site.
Electronic Means
You and Baltimore County, Maryland desire to facilitate certain transactions pursuant to this Agreement by exchanging documents, records and signatures electronically or by utilizing electronic agents. The use of electronic facilities or agents shall be in accordance with procedures established by Baltimore County, Maryland and their contractors, assigns, and agents as applicable and governed by the applicable provisions of the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act as adopted in the State of Maryland and Baltimore County, Maryland.
Viruses
Because of the marked increase in the fabrication and proliferation of computer viruses affecting the Internet, we want to warn you about infections or viral contamination on your system. It is your responsibility to scan any and all downloaded materials received from the Internet. We are not responsible or liable for any damage caused by such hazards.
Security
Internet and email communications are not confidential. It is possible that information transmitted to us may be read or obtained by other parties. In an attempt to protect your privacy, our email responses do not include personal account information such as social security numbers or account numbers.
Policy Amendments and Updates
Please note that we review our practices from time to time, and that such practices are subject to change. Baltimore County, Maryland reserves the right to change these terms of use at anytime by posting revisions on the website. We ask that you periodically review this page to ensure familiarity with the most current version of these terms of use. However, these terms of use is not intended to, and does not, create any contractual or other legal rights in or on behalf of any party.