Sign up for county alerts

With the rising threat of wildfires, the Kootenai County Sheriff's Office wants to be sure people know what to do in case an evacuation is necessary.

KCSO launched a new "Mass Notification" service that allows it to alert residents.

People opt-in to enter their contact information and subscribe to notifications they care about based on their location.

Here's how it works:

"When we issue a notification about a potential safety hazard or concern, you will receive a message on the voice or text communication methods that you have registered. If requested for the notification, you can confirm that you have received the message and you will not be contacted by any subsequent methods regarding that particular notification. If you do not confirm, the system will continue to attempt to reach you at all of the contact paths that you have registered."

If you receive an evacuation order from Kootenai County it will clearly state the impacted area. KCSO urges residents to prepare in advance by making a plan. To make sure you are receiving these alerts straight from the source sign up for ALERT! at www.kcsheriff.com/228/Alert-Kootenai.