A new and state-of-the-art mass communications system could be coming to Butler County that would allow emergency services officials to alert residents about a disaster or emergency situation.

County commissioners at their Wednesday meeting heard Steve Bicehouse, county emergency services director, ask for approval of a grant that would allow him to put in place a new and more effective system to text or call residents in the event of a disaster.

“This is something that has been on our radar for a very long time,” Bicehouse said.

While the county has a mass alert system, it is cumbersome and does not offer features like the ability to alert just one region or population in the county or send mass alerts remotely by an emergency services official who is not at the 911 center. It also does not allow for automatic weather alerts and unlimited texting, Bicehouse said.

He said he evaluated more than 50 systems before choosing the Code Red system by OnSolve to recommend to commissioners.

The system also tells emergency services officials how many people were reached by an alert and how many responded.

“It has a lot of capabilities that we were quite impressed by,” Bicehouse told commissioners.

The system would cost $12,500.

He said if approved by commissioners at their meeting next Wednesday, the system will be publicized in various ways so residents will sign up to receive either a text message or phone call if the county needs to alert them to a situation.

The Pennsylvania Volunteers, a new emergency services support organization in the county, will help spread the word about the new system, Bicehouse said.

It also will be publicized in various media and on signs throughout the county.

Bicehouse said neighboring Lawrence County uses the Code Red system and easily signed up a large portion of the county’s residents through publicity.

He said phone numbers also could be uploaded from the 911 center’s database, but he stressed that all numbers would be kept confidential by emergency services officials if that method were chosen.

“People like their privacy,” Bicehouse said.

Commissioner Kevin Boozel asked Bicehouse if resident registration would be repeated every few years to keep the contact list current. Bicehouse replied that the system can be set to update contacts at the discretion of the user.

Commissioner Kim Geyer, who is the former Mars School Board president, seemed to favor the system.

“It’s done with the school districts and it’s amazing how many people signed up (in Mars),” she said. “Everyone wants to be informed and educated and get those alerts.”

Bicehouse said the old mass alert system is out of date.

“I have no confidence in that system,” he said.