New AtHoc emergency notifications available to dependents, retirees

By Danielle Wallingsford KirklandJune 16, 2015

FORT BENNING, Ga., (June 17, 2015) -- Fort Benning's Emergency Management Office is making it easier for the entire Fort Benning population to receive emergency warnings and notifications through its AtHoc Telephonic Alert System, which is part of the Mass Warning and Notification System.

Previously, only individuals with a Common Access Card were able to register for the AtHoc alerts, which send out emergency notifications through phone, email, text and Twitter.

Others on post relied heavily on the "Giant Voice" warning system, which is primarily an outdoor warning system.

The AtHoc alert system is available now to those without CAC cards by registering online at https://warnings.army.mil/SelfService/Entry.aspx?pid=2538145. This includes military dependents, retirees, visiting Family, Fort Benning contractors and employees of tenant organizations.

Tina Sandell, Fort Benning Emergency Management operations specialist, said it is very important for individuals to fill out the registration completely so they can be notified by various means in case of an emergency.

Users should register their affiliation with Fort Benning when signing up for the alert system.

Registrants will have the option to choose military dependent, military student, visitor, employed with a tenant organization, employed with a tenant organization, employed as a contractor, TDY or no affiliation.

"If they are living on Fort Benning, we ask patrons to register the housing area in which they reside. Should an incident occur on post we have the ability to notify a specific housing area with instructions through the AtHoc system," Sandell said.

The AtHoc system works in conjunction with the "Giant Voice" outdoor warning sirens located throughout the populated areas of Fort Benning to send out alerts and notifications of severe weather warnings and other emergency situations.

"We use the AtHoc notifications for emergencies, primarily weather; however, they can be used in the case of a terrorist attack or other special emergency situations," Sandell said.

Sandell said the Emergency Management Office wants to ensure the Fort Benning population gets reliable information in emergency situations and the AtHoc system offers one of the channels for them to get correct information and instructions.

"It is extremely important to have an emergency action plan and part of that planning process should be to register for emergency warnings and alerts," Sandell said.

Users should update their information every 60-90 days in order to keep their accounts active and current.