Case Study: Chicago OEMC achieves real-time public alerts and increased community preparedness with Rave Mobile Safety

Putting Power in the Hands of the People with an Emergency Information App

Chicago OEMC needed a modern, mobile-first way to reach more than three million residents and visitors across a diverse city where people no longer rely on TV or radio for news. To make emergency preparedness accessible, engaging, and easy to find, OEMC partnered with Rave Mobile Safety—leveraging Rave’s AppArmor platform alongside their existing Rave Alert mass-notification service—to build a custom, accessible app that works for non-English speakers, people with disabilities, tourists, and everyday phone users.

Rave Mobile Safety built a Chicago-branded web app that rebroadcasts Rave Alert and adds maps, live weather, emergency updates, towing/road-closure info, and a Chi Safe Walk location-sharing feature, all without requiring signups. After launching in Feb 2023 with a social campaign, the app hit about 2,000 downloads immediately and approached 3,000 in the first month, has continued to grow with no reported negative feedback, and Rave continues working with OEMC on an employee version and secure sign-in—demonstrating clear, measurable gains in public engagement and information access.

Chicago OEMC

Carrie Carlson

Sr. Emergency Management Coordinator