CLEARFIELD – The quick dissemination of accurate information is a critical necessity when emergencies arise in communities.
On Tuesday, the Clearfield County Commissioners approved an agreement with CodeRED for an emergency notification system.
According to its Web site, Emergency Communications Network (ECN), headquartered in Omaha Beach, Fla., realized the potential of its advanced telephone infrastructure to help local public safety officials to deliver critical emergency notices and provide residents extra preparation time.
From there, CodeRED, ECN’s flagship solution, was officially formed, paving the way for government agencies to quickly inform residents, local businesses and visitors of emergency situations as they developed.
CodeRED’s high-speed notifications were among the first web-based platforms to enable location-specific and time-sensitive communications to be disseminated via multiple delivery modes all from a single-user interface.
CodeRED also developed a mobile app, which according to its Web site, is the nation’s most downloaded public safety notification app delivering geo-targeted notifications directly to those impacted.
Dan Spencer, deputy director planning, said, CodeRED will permit the dissemination of information initially to any Clearfield County resident who is listed in the White Pages.
However, people who aren’t listed or who want mobile alerts (calls, texts, e-mails, etc.), must sign up and complete an enrollment process.
According to Spencer, the county’s CodeRED system will disseminate information for emergencies, such as severe weather, active shooter, utility outages and traffic, missing persons, be-on-the-look-out and Amber Alerts and shelter locations.
For example, if the National Weather Service issues a tornado watch for the northwest corner of Clearfield County, he said CodeRED will geographically alert residents living there.
The purpose of CodeRED, he said, is to lessen misinformation and hearsay and to forward official information to the general public.
Spencer said CodeRED will also allow the county’s public safety officials to develop groups and sub-groups (of responders with certain permissions) to quickly activate response to emergency situations.
Commissioner Mark B. McCracken said it was a very good upgrade, adding Centre County is already using the CodeRED emergency notification system.
Spencer said the public safety officials planned to aggressively promote CodeRED, so that it reaches as many residents as possible.
