| N E W S R E L E A S E
– For Immediate Release
City & County Add Emergency Notification Service
DUBUQUE, Iowa – The City of Dubuque and Dubuque County have instituted the "CodeRED" Emergency Notification System, a high-speed telephone communication service for emergency notifications and other important messages. This system allows local officials to telephone all or targeted areas of the city or county in case of an emergency situation that requires immediate action.
The CodeRED system offers geographic targeting of calls coupled with a high-speed telephone calling system capable of delivering customized pre-recorded emergency messages directly to homes and businesses at the rate of up to 60,000 calls per hour. If the call is not answered, CodeRED's technology will deliver the message in its entirety to voicemail and answering devices.
Dubuque County Emergency Management Coordinator Tom Berger said the service is already operational and the Dubuque County 911 system's phone number and address database is being used as the phone number database for the CodeRED system. Berger said any County residents with unlisted phone numbers, anyone who has changed his or her phone number or address within the last year, and anyone who uses a cellular phone as their primary phone number should register their number with the service to insure their number is in the database. Additionally, residents can add an alternate number, such as a cellular phone, to their record if they wish. Providing an alternate phone number will cause both the primary and alternate phone numbers to be contacted in the event a call goes out for the address specified.
CodeRED allows individuals and businesses to add their phone numbers directly to the database through the Internet. To add a phone number to the database, Dubuque residents should visit www.cityofdubuque.org and Dubuque County residents should visit the Links section of our website, or visit www.dubuquecounty.org. A "CodeRED Alert System" link is provided on each website and will take visitors to a CodeRED website where they can submit their information.
"The CodeRED system is a geographical-based system, so street addresses are needed to select which phone numbers will receive an emergency notification call in any given situation," said Berger. "Cell phone numbers are fine, but we need an address to go with it."
Berger said the system was already used to issue a boil order in Epworth earlier this summer and the City of Dubuque plans to use the service to notify residents who live on Dubuque's snow routes when the odd/even parking policy is implemented this winter.
The information provided for the database will only be used for emergency notification purposes.
The message can be delivered in text format to hearing impaired individual's TTY/TDD equipment. The phone numbers of individuals who request to have their numbers removed from the system will be removed. The CodeRED system will not be used for severe weather warnings or information. Residents should rely on local media that use the Emergency Alert System (EAS) or NOAA all-hazards radios. |
