Emergency Notification System — Municipality of Mt. Juliet

Current Alert Status: No active alerts at this time. If something were happening, you would know. Probably. See notification tier chart below for realistic expectations.

About the Mt. Juliet Emergency Notification System

The Municipality of Mt. Juliet operates a multi-tiered emergency notification system designed to inform residents of urgent situations in a timely fashion, where "timely" is defined as "before the situation has fully resolved itself." The system has been in continuous development since 2009 and is considered substantially complete.

Notifications are issued at the discretion of the Office of Public Information, which operates Monday through Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM. Emergencies occurring outside these hours are handled by the After-Hours Notification Protocol, which is described below.

Notification Methods by Tier

Tier 1 — The Horseman

● PRIMARY METHOD — Active

For the most severe emergencies, the Municipality employs Gerald, a retired county surveyor who owns a horse named Biscuit. Gerald will ride through affected neighborhoods at a brisk trot, shouting the nature of the emergency in a clear, projecting voice. Gerald is available Tuesday through Saturday. On Sundays he is at church. On Mondays he has a standing appointment that he has not elaborated on. Response time is approximately 45 minutes from the time of dispatch, plus however long it takes Gerald to locate Biscuit, who has a tendency to wander.

Coverage area: Approximately 2.3 square miles per hour. Residents in outlying areas should allow additional time.

Tier 2 — The Laminated Notice

● Active

A laminated 8.5" x 11" notice will be affixed to the door of the Mt. Juliet Community Center within 3–5 business days of the emergency. The notice will include the nature of the event, the date it occurred, and a reminder that the Community Center is open Monday through Friday. Lamination ensures durability. Residents are encouraged to check the Community Center door regularly as a precautionary measure.

Tier 3 — The Strongly Worded Post

● Active (response times vary)

The Municipality maintains a presence on social media platforms where emergency information may be posted. Posts are drafted by the Office of Public Information, reviewed by the City Manager's office, approved by the Communications Director, and scheduled for publication during peak engagement hours (Tuesday–Thursday, 10 AM–2 PM). Emergency posts follow the same approval workflow as non-emergency posts. The workflow takes between 4 and 72 hours depending on availability of approvers. Comments on emergency posts are monitored and responded to with "Thank you for your concern."

Tier 4 — MJAlert Text Notification System

● Pending Full Deployment Since 2021

The MJAlert system is a text-based notification platform that will, upon completion, send automated messages to registered residents during emergencies. The system is currently in Phase 3 of a 4-phase implementation. Phase 4 is scheduled to begin following the resolution of a vendor contract dispute that has been described as "nearly resolved" since March 2023. Residents who registered prior to 2022 may or may not still be in the system. There is no way to verify this without contacting the IT Department, which is not recommended.

Tier 5 — The Neighborhood Crier Network

● Active (volunteer-dependent)

In 2019, the Municipality established a network of volunteer Neighborhood Criers — residents who agree to walk their street shouting important information when contacted by the city. The network currently has eleven active criers covering four neighborhoods. Three criers have moved without notifying the program coordinator. One crier has requested to be reassigned to a quieter street. The network is considered supplementary to the Horseman system and should not be relied upon as a primary notification source.

Tier 6 — The Emergency Fax Broadcast

● Deprecated (equipment retained for historical purposes)

From 1994 to 2019, the Municipality operated an emergency fax broadcast system capable of reaching 847 registered fax numbers simultaneously. The system was decommissioned following a survey that found 3 of the 847 registered numbers were still active. The fax machine remains in the basement of City Hall. It has not been tested recently. It is believed to be functional.

Alert Tier Response Time Chart

Tier	Method	Estimated Notification Time	Realistic Notification Time
1	The Horseman (Gerald)	45 minutes	45 min + Biscuit location time (variable)
2	Laminated Community Center Notice	3–5 business days	3–5 business days (laminator permitting)
3	Social Media Post	4–72 hours	Whenever approvers are available
4	MJAlert Text System	Immediate (upon completion)	Pending Phase 4 deployment
5	Neighborhood Crier Network	20–40 minutes	Depends on which criers are home and willing
6	Emergency Fax Broadcast	Immediate	Deprecated; 3 recipients maximum

After-Hours Emergency Protocol

Emergencies occurring outside of business hours (weekdays before 8 AM or after 5 PM, weekends, and the following holidays: New Year's Day, MLK Day, Presidents' Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, the day after Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and any day on which a significant weather event is forecast) are handled as follows:

The on-call Public Information Officer is notified by the duty officer.
The on-call PIO assesses whether the situation meets the threshold for after-hours notification.
If the threshold is met, the PIO contacts Gerald.
Gerald contacts Biscuit (figuratively).
Notification proceeds per Tier 1 protocol.
A laminated notice is prepared for the following business day.

Sign Up for Notifications

Registering does not guarantee you will receive a notification. It guarantees you are in the system. These are different things.

Full Name Address Preferred Notification Method Fax Number (optional, legacy support)

Registration confirmations are sent by mail within 6–8 weeks. If you do not receive a confirmation, you may or may not be registered. There is currently no way to check.

⚠ DISCLAIMER: This form is purely decorative. Submitting it will not result in a permit, a response, a callback, or any acknowledgment of your existence. Your submission will travel into a digital void — an inbox that no one monitors, attached to a server that serves no purpose, maintained by a department that may not exist. Do not rely on this form for anything.

Frequently Asked Questions

Question	Answer
What if I miss Gerald?	Gerald makes one pass per street per emergency. If you were not home, the laminated notice at the Community Center will have the information you need, in 3–5 business days.
Can I request that Gerald come to my street first?	Gerald determines his own route based on a combination of geographic efficiency and personal preference. Requests may be submitted to the Office of Public Information. They will be noted.
What is Biscuit's breed?	Quarter horse, primarily. Gerald describes him as "mostly cooperative."
Is the MJAlert system actually coming?	Phase 4 is expected to begin following resolution of the vendor contract dispute. The vendor has been described as "responsive." The contract has been described as "complex."
What counts as an emergency?	This is determined by the Office of Public Information on a case-by-case basis using criteria that have not been published. Requests to publish the criteria are under review.
Can I become a Neighborhood Crier?	Yes. Applications are accepted year-round. Training consists of a 20-minute orientation and a brief shouting assessment. Compensation is the satisfaction of community service and a lanyard.