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 Local News
Wednesday,
March 15, 2006; Posted: 11:15 a.m. EDT
Glendale to phase into CodeRED alert Saturday
ANDREA REEVES/COMMUNITY
PRESS STAFF
GLENDALE -- Residents who get a phone call from the Glendale Police
Department at 11 a.m. on Saturday should not be alarmed.
The call will be just a recorded test message the department will send to
test its new CodeRED emergency alert system on residents.
CodeRED is a [911 in reverse] system that will enable Glendale police to
notify virtually everyone in the village of emergencies using a database that
will call the residents and play a pre-recorded message.
Using the system, the department can call the entire village in just a few
minutes in case of an emergency. The system can make 60,000 calls per hour.
"For us to be able to get information out within a few minutes is
incredible. It's a big expansion on our ability to serve," said Glendale
Police Chief Matthew Fruchey.
"I like the simplicity of it. Five of us have the ability to launch
and we can do it from our homes or while we're on vacation. The flexibility
is incredible."
The department plans to use the system to notify all village residents of
everything from crime alerts, storm or tornado warnings and boil water
advisories to routes for marathons or parades. The system can notify the whole
village or residents of just one street.
The biggest risk for Glendale is something happening on the railroad
tracks or a storm, Fruchey said.
Glendale resident Joanne Earls said the storm alerts would be especially
helpful to her. "I have a hearing impairment so a storm warning would be
wonderful because I can't always hear the sirens," she said.
Added Earls' husband, Jack, "It sounds like there's an awful lot of
things they can do with it and it sounds like a great idea," he said.
"With the railroad tracks running through Glendale, if there was a
train wreck, we would be notified immediately. It seems like it would be a
great system."
Using several local and national databases, the village will compile a
database for the CodeRED system.
In addition, residents can add additional phone numbers by visiting the
village Web site at glendaleohio.org.
If a resident doesn't have Internet access, they can go to the Glendale
Police Department to submit extra numbers.
Cell phone numbers, work numbers and even vacation numbers can be entered
into the system.
Glendale will pay $7,500 this year for the system and $5,000 per year
after that.
And if a resident awaiting a phone call at 11 a.m. Saturday, and a phone
call is not received, Fruchey said not to worry, because the database is
still being built.
If a resident is not called, they should call the Glendale Police
Department to solve the problem.
areeves@communitypress.com
576-8246
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