Douglas Athas, Mayor-Elect

Garland Launches CodeRED Notification System,

Citizens Urged to Register

Garland, Texas – May 22, 2007 — The City of Garland has contracted with Emergency Communications Network, Inc., of Ormond Beach, Florida, for its "CodeRED" high-speed telephone emergency notification services. The CodeRED system gives city officials the ability to deliver pre-recorded emergency telephone notification/information messages to targeted areas or the entire city at a rate of up to 60,000 calls per hour.

 

Such urgent notifications would include water main breaks, large electric utility outages, time-sensitive public health alerts, hazardous chemical spills, emergency evacuation alerts and more. The notifications can be limited to a specific area within Garland or can be sent city-wide.

 

Dorothy White, the City’s Public and Media Affairs Manager, cautioned that such systems are only as good as the telephone database supporting them. "If your phone number is not in the database, you will not be called". The CodeRED system not only offers faster calling rates and improved message delivery, it gives individuals and businesses the ability to add their own phone numbers directly to the system's telephone database.

 

To ensure no one is omitted, Ms. White urges all individuals and businesses to log onto the City’s website, www.ci.garland.tx.us, and follow the link to the "CodeRED Residential and Business Data Collection" page. Those without Internet access may call 972-205-2828 to provide their registration information. Required information includes first and last name, street address (physical address, no P.O. boxes), city, state, zip code, and primary phone number, additional phone numbers (optional).

 

No one should automatically assume his or her phone number is included, Ms. White said. All businesses should register, as well as all individuals who have unlisted phone numbers, who have changed their phone number or address within the last year, and who use a cellular phone as their primary home phone.

 

The CodeRED system is a geographical based notification system, which means street addresses are needed to select which phone numbers will receive emergency notification calls in any given situation. The system works fine for cell phones too, but we have to have a street address". People who have recently moved but kept the same listed or unlisted phone number also need to change their address in the database.

 

Ms. White stated, "CodeRED gives those who want to be included an easy and secure method for doing so. The information will only be used for emergency notification purposes". Questions should be directed to the City of Garland Public and Media Affairs office at 972-205-2879.

 

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