In the critical moments when disaster, emergency, or crisis strikes within Indigenous communities; when a child, friend, or neighbour goes missing, every second matters. FirstAlerts was created to empower tribal councils and communities to take control of how and when they want to share information about emergencies affecting their people.
Subscribe now to get FirstAlerts from the communities you care about, and be the first to know. Get safety information from a source you can trust, delivered right to your phone.
A community-driven emergency alert system designed by and for Indigenous communities, FirstAlerts is exclusively available within the Talking Stick app. Launched February 14, 2024, FirstAlerts allows authorized community leaders to quickly share critical safety information and updates to their members, without delay.
FirstAlerts will only be sent for three types of emergencies: missing persons, natural disasters, or public safety.
FirstAlerts are:
• Optional. You choose whether to receive these or not, and change your preferences at any time
• Anonymous. No personal information is collected or shared
• Available now in participating communities
In the critical moments when disaster, emergency, or crisis strikes within Indigenous communities; when a child, friend, or neighbour goes missing, every second matters. FirstAlerts was created to empower tribal councils and communities to take control of how and when they want to share information about emergencies affecting their people.
Subscribe now to get FirstAlerts from the communities you care about, and be the first to know. Get safety information from a source you can trust, delivered right to your phone.
A community-driven emergency alert system designed by and for Indigenous communities, FirstAlerts is exclusively available within the Talking Stick app. Launched February 14, 2024, FirstAlerts allows authorized community leaders to quickly share critical safety information and updates to their members, without delay.
FirstAlerts will only be sent for three types of emergencies: missing persons, natural disasters, or public safety.
FirstAlerts are:
• Optional. You choose whether to receive these or not, and change your preferences at any time
• Anonymous. No personal information is collected or shared
• Available now in participating communities
FAQ
How do I subscribe to FirstAlerts?
FirstAlerts are delivered through Talking Stick, a free smartphone app. To enable FirstAlerts go to the “Alerts” tab in the app, and select the community or communities you want to receive FirstAlerts from. You will need to make sure you have turned on the ability to receive push notifications from the Talking Stick app in your phone settings. You must have the Talking Stick app downloaded to your phone to subscribe to and receive FirstAlerts.
Who sends out FirstAlerts messages?
What types of alerts will I receive?
Is my identity still anonymous if I sign up for FirstAlerts?
Can I receive alerts about another community where I have friends or loved ones?
Yes – you can select multiple communities to receive alerts that affect them, so long as they have elected to participate in the FirstAlerts system.
What if my community is not listed?
Who do I contact about sending out an alert?
Every participating community will have a FirstAlerts Administrator who is trained to send alerts. Contact your community leadership for more information.
Will I receive FirstAlerts if I’m in a remote region?
Is this a text message?
No. FirstAlerts are not sent using the same technology as SMS text messages sent from phone to phone.
What if I need emotional support during a crisis?
Get started:
Download Talking Stick on your mobile device or use your desktop to chat.
*FirstAlerts is not available on your web browser, you must download the app to access this service.
Get started:
Download Talking Stick on your mobile device to subscribe to FirstAlerts.
