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code RED
by Bill Hankins
The Paris News
Published September 8, 2008
The messages can warn residents by phone of dangerous weather, water or sewer outages, street closures, missing child alerts and police emergencies.
Paris City Manager Kevin Curruth said the city has contracted with Emergency Communications Network, Inc. of Ormond Beach, Fla., for its CodeRED high-speed telephone emergency notification services.
The CodeRED system gives city officials the ability to deliver 60,000 calls per hour.
The first 18 months of the system is being funded by an Edward C. Byrne Justice Assistance Grant.
Carruth said CodeRED will complement the city’s warning sirens and cable system override messages.
“It is much more effective than any other single notification tool the city has, because it can be used for a variety of situations, gives very specific information and can reach the entire community or just a targeted few blocks very quickly,” Carruth said.
A call to a Paris number begins with: “This is an important message,” and is followed by a message of 30 seconds to 2.5 minutes explaining what situation is at hand and what the resident should do.
If the system detects it has not reached a live person, it will attempt to contact the number two additional times.
City officials can monitor the calling in live time and, if they determine there are areas of town not receiving the messages, can utilize alternate methods to get the information to those areas.
CodeRED automatically includes all published residential 9-1-1 numbers and citizens can opt out of the system.
An added feature is the weather warning system, which allows citizens to choose to be notified when the National Weather Service issues a weather advisory that impacts the City of Paris.
When that happens, the residential numbers are not automatically in the system for the weather warning, so residents must opt in to participate in this part of the system.
The system will call no matter what time of the day or night the warning occurs.
“This system is only as good as the telephone database that supports it,” Bob Hundley, assistant police chief and emergency management coordinator, said. “If a phone number is not in the database, it will not be called.”
All published 9-1-1 numbers are included in the database, but those with unlisted numbers or people who have changed their residential address or phone numbers within the past year and those who use a cellular telephone as their primary home phone will have to register their numbers.
“No one should automatically assume his or her phone number is included,” Hundley said. “It is wise to go ahead and complete the form regardless of whether it fits into one of those groups.”
To ensure no one is omitted, city officials suggest all individuals and businesses log onto the City of Paris Web site, www.paristexas.gov, and follow the link to the CodeRED Residential and Business Data Collection page.
Requested information includes first and last name, street address (physical addresses only), city, state, zip code and primary phone number or additional phone numbers.
For those without Internet access, forms that mirror the ones on the internet will be available at all city offices and the Lamar County Chamber of Commerce.
“It is important that in the event of an electrical outage, persons who only have cordless phones probably will not be contacted because their phones must be plugged into an electrical outlet,” Hundley said. “Most corded phones should still work, because they draw their electricity from the telephone line itself and are not typically plugged into an electrical outlet.”
Hundley said Noble True Value Hardware, 2246 Bonham Street, is offering a 20 percent discount on all-hazard radios for those who go to the City of Paris Web site and follow the link to the CodeRED Residential and Business Data Collection page.
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