United Public Employees (UPE) met with Merced County Department of Behavioral Health and Recovery Services on April 7, 2025, to discuss the Emergency Notification System (ENS). This system is meant to alert employees quickly in the event of an emergency, such as a threat, fire, or natural disaster.
The ENS will send emergency alerts to both county-issued cell phones and, on a voluntary basis, to personal cell phones. Employees who have county phones will automatically be included in the system. Employees with personal phones will have the option to join. If you want to receive alerts on your personal phone, you will be given a form to opt in. If you choose not to join, that’s okay—you will not be added to the system, and you will not be required to provide your personal phone number.
If you do choose to opt in, you can opt-out at any time. If your phone number changes, you’ll need to fill out a new opt-in form and notify the County so your old number can be removed. In the event that employees witness something concerning, they should inform their supervisor Right away. The supervisor, if needed, will then follow the proper steps to get an alert sent out through the ENS.
The system will send out mass text messages to all employees who are part of the program. In addition, all employees—whether they are part of the program or not—should receive emergency alerts by email. UPE cares deeply about the safety and well-being of its members and hopes this system will help keep everyone informed and safe.
UPE WOULD LIKE TO THANK UPE MERCED COUNTY UNIT 3 GOVERNING BOARD MEMBERS LISA SYKES AND CARMELITA RODRIGUEZ FOR THEIR ADVOCACY AND PARTICIPATION.
