Tamaqua residents may want to sign up for the borough's emergency notification system.

The system has been in operation in the borough for about five years, according to borough Manager Kevin Steigerwalt.On Tuesday, council approved an upgrade to the borough's automated calling system. The previous package cost the borough $3,700 annually. The upgrades, which will include text and email capabilities as well, will cost $4,900.Steigerwalt said the upgrades will also allow for updates to be sent from any computer or smartphone device and will keep more accurate phone records. Customers will also be able to access their contact information via website and keep it updated."We use it for water boil advisories, occasionally street closures, changes in garbage collection, snow renewal, things of that nature," Steigerwalt said. "It was mainly purchased for the water system, but then we thought it could be used for a number of useful things; garbage, snow removal, road closures."Steigerwalt said it's common for water systems to have an emergency notification system."They find it easier to notify customers about things like water boil advisories, main breaks, things of that nature," he said. "It's easier to get the word out with the phone system, rather than going door to door, sending letters."Steigerwalt said the borough contracts with the Emergency Communications Network, which provides the service."We have software; we can go on the Internet, and that's where we select a map of our service area and we can go in there and select the location, geographically where the phone calls will be directed to," he said. "You record the message over the phone, and select the time you want it to go out."Steigerwalt said the borough prefers to send the calls out around 6, 7 o'clock at night "because that's when most people tend to be home and they'll hear it.""If your answering machine picks up, the message will play," he said. "It can also be sent to cellphones, it can be sent to any phone number."The process is both easy, and efficient, Steigerwalt said."You can literally send the message out within minutes, from start to finish," he said. "It can call a lot of phone numbers simultaneously."The calling area does extend beyond the borough, as the borough's water system serves areas outside of the borough boundaries.However, Steigerwalt cautioned that residents who change phone numbers or addresses should contact the borough with updated information."If your phone number has changed, then you need to let us know, or we'll put a link on the borough website where people can go in and enter their new information, change of address, change of phone number," he said. "Every year we put out an annual water report that we put at people's doors with a paper with instructions on how to sign up for the notification system and how you can update the notification system."Steigerwalt said residents can log onto

www.ecnetwork.com, and click on resident enrollment on the top right-hand part of their screen."It links that to our service area, and it should plug you right in without any troubles," he said. "We'd like everyone to be in there."