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A new tool is helping Great Falls communicate with citizens in an emergency.

Kristal Kuhn, emergency management planner for the Great Falls Fire Rescue agency, demonstrated on Monday how she can send an alert to members of the community in an emergency situation.

The service is called Nixle and it allows emergency officials to send an email or a text message to people in the affected area. The only other way to get out information is through the emergency alert system, which is not always ideal for communicating.

Kuhn said, "Now the problem with that (EAS) is that, if the power is out, you're not going to get that information over the television. If you don't have an emergency alert radio, you're not going to get that information."

Another reason Kuhn likes the Nixle service is that it fits in today's world; she noted, "About 20% of the nation's households no longer have landlines; they have cell phones. And people who have cell phones, generally have them with them. But, it only works if people sign up."

Nixle will also help within the fire department. If more firefighters are needed at a scene, they have to go down a list and call each one individually. With Nixle, the department can send out one message to everyone at the same time.

Assistant Fire Chief Steve Hester said, "Which will shorten that time it takes to get firefighters to the scene of an emergency where we need additional firefighters that we've called back to duty."

Whether it's alerting the public or within the fire department, getting information out is as easy as sending an email.

To sign up, simply go to Nixle.com and search for Great Falls, or click here.

Although the service is free, normal text message rates may apply, depending on your cell phone service plan.