Life can change with just a moment’s notice, so it’s important for emergency response personnel to be able to connect with residents during an emergency. Changes in technology are allowing governments to do so in more ways than ever before.
In an effort to take advantage of new technology and to continue to ensure accurate crisis communication with residents, Douglas County Sheriff’s Office and all other Douglas County agencies have transitioned to a new mass notification system called CodeRED.
CodeRed is a high-speed telephone emergency notification system that allows public safety personnel to send messages directly to residents – whether they are home or away – during an emergency. It uses geo-tracking to target specific areas with prerecorded phone messages, emails or texts.
Some Douglas County residents may have been signed up for a previous system that all jurisdictions within the County used. County and municipal agencies are no longer using that system. Though contact information will be transferred to the new system, it is suggested all residents sign up for the new system to ensure they are included in this important effort. Business owners are also encouraged to register their contact information.
The Douglas County Emergency Telephone Service Authority decided earlier this year to go with a different notification provider. After requesting proposals from a variety of providers, CodeRED rose to the top. The authority, which is funded by a monthly 70 cent phone surcharge on all cell phones and landlines within the County, will pay for the system.
Like the former system, CodeRED alerts may be implemented in situations such as police activity in the area, an Amber Alert, wildfires or other emergency incidents. However, the system does not include weather alerts. Douglas County and its municipalities encourage residents to stay tuned to weather radios and local media for information during severe weather.
In order for CodeRED to perform at its best, it needs an accurate database of contact information, associated with addresses. That’s why the public’s help is needed. To ensure your information is included in this database, you must sign up. Registering is free online at http://NotifyDouglasCounty.org
Required information includes: First and last name, street address (no P.O. Boxes), city, state, ZIP code and primary phone number. Data will be kept confidential.
Residents can also sign up using cell phone numbers and emails, because dispatch centers can also use CodeRED to send messages via text message or email. Signing up allows residents to set their contact preferences. Should residents move, they will need to register again with the new address.
Residents should be aware that Douglas County will test the system at 1:00PM on October 10th, those registered will receive the type of notification for which they signed up for at that time. If you do not receive a test call you are encouraged to sign yourself up.
For more information about this new system, visit http://dcsheriff.net/Emergency_Mass_Notification_System.html
CodeRED will alert people of incidents in their area. Residents can also subscribe to the dcsheriff news blog and receive alerts via email, facebook, and twitter, when the blog is updated. To get the latest information it is suggested that county residents subscribe to the dcsheriff.net news blog, Facebook (Douglas County Sheriff) and Twitter (Dcsheriff) or by going to dcsheriff.net and using the Facebook and Twitter icon in the middle of the home page. Sheriff’s Office news can be accessed here: http://blogs.douglas.co.us/sheriff/
Questions: Contact us at 303-663-7747 or public_notify@douglas911.org
DISCLAIMER: The CodeRED™ notification service (the “Service”) is provided as a supplemental emergency communication method and should not be relied upon exclusively. Neither the Douglas County Emergency Telephone Service Authority (the “Authority”)nor Douglas County (the “County”) make any warranties of any kind, either express or implied, with regards to the Service, including without limitation, warranties about the accuracy, completeness, or delivery of any information posted or transmitted by the Authority through the CodeRED™ System. There is no guarantee that a notification will reach any particular resident upon activation. By providing the Service, neither the Authority nor the County assume a duty of care, nor do they waive any of the protections of the Colorado Governmental Immunity Act (§ 24-10-101, et seq., C.R.S.). Neither the Authority nor the County, nor any of their affiliates, agents, contractors, or respective employees, shall be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, reliance, punitive, or consequential damages or for lost profits or revenues or lost data or costs of cover relating to the Service, regardless of the legal theory under which liability is asserted.
-##-