Dayton Daily News (Ohio)

 

                             July 20, 2006 Thursday

 

SECTION: NORTHEAST; Pg. Z5-1

 

LENGTH: 384 words

 

HEADLINE: Heights to use CodeRED warning system;

About 60,000 residents an hour can be alerted to emergencies such as missing

persons and chemical spills.

 

BYLINE: By Valryn Warren Staff Writer

 

BODY:

 

   HUBER HEIGHTS - The best warnings reach the largest number of people as

quickly as possible, so Huber Heights is joining the list of communities

offering the CodeRED emergency alert system.

 

   For $15,000 a year, CodeRED builds and maintains a database of local

phone

numbers that can be dialed to deliver a recorded message at the rate of

60,000

calls an hour as part of an emergency alert system.

 

   City officials can activate the system in emergencies to provide

information

and instructions to residents that might be affected. The system can be used

to

target the entire city or regions to let people know what to do in case of

emergencies like major water main breaks, chemical spills, missing persons,

or

other potentially critical situations. The city will still utilize

television

and radio to help broadcast the message.

 

   "If you can hit that many people simultaneously, it helps abate the

emergency

or minimize the damage," City Manager Catherine Armocida said.

 

   "People want to know what's going on, but if everybody calls city hall,

you

get flooded phone lines. We think of it as an insurance policy to help

protect

our citizens."

 

   The residential phone list is automatically generated and updated

quarterly,

but businesses, residents with TDD/TTY for hearing impaired, unlisted

numbers or

using a cell phone as a primary number need to register with CodeRED to make

sure they get called or to add another contact number.

 

   The system tries each phone number three times. If unable to reach a

person

or answering machine, then it calls backup numbers if they are registered.

Caregivers for the ill or elderly may also give their numbers as an

alternative.

 

   To register numbers, residents or businesses will need to go to the city

Web

site, www.ci.huber-heights.oh.us, and look for the CodeRED link once the

system

is operational, which it should be in about 30 days.

 

   In Vandalia, where the city has had the CodeRED system in place for about

a

year, Communication Manager Rich Hopkins said getting people to register

unlisted, business or alternate numbers and keep them updated is important.

 

   "What we had to do was address the business community," Hopkins said. "It

was

well received and a lot of people did go to our Web site to register. It

really

is good to know you have this in place in case of an emergency."

 

LOAD-DATE: July 25, 2006