Life can change with just a moment’s notice, so it’s important for emergency response personnel to be able to connect with residents during an emergency. Changes in technology are allowing governments to do so in more ways than ever before.

In an effort to take advantage of new technology and to continue to ensure accurate crisis communication with residents, the Town of Castle Rock and all other Douglas County agencies are transitioning to a new mass notification system called CodeRED.

CodeRed is a high-speed telephone emergency notification system that allows public safety personnel to send messages directly to residents – whether they are home or away - during an emergency. It uses geo-tracking to target specific areas with prerecorded phone messages, emails or texts.

Some Douglas County residents may have been signed up for a previous system that all jurisdictions within the County used. County and municipal agencies are no longer using that system. Though contact information will be transferred to the new system are automatically included, it is suggested all residents sign up for the new system to ensure they are included in this important effort. Business owners are also encouraged to register their contact information.

The Douglas County Emergency Telephone Service Authority decided earlier this year to go with a different notification provider. After requesting proposals from a variety of providers, CodeRED rose to the top. The authority, which is funded by a monthly 70 cent phone surcharge on all cell phones and landlines within the County, will pay for the system.

Like the former system, CodeRED alerts may be implemented in situations such as police activity in the area, an Amber Alert, wildfires or other emergency incidents. However, the system does not include weather alerts. Douglas County and its municipalities encourage residents to stay tuned to weather radios and local media for information during severe weather.

In order for CodeRED to perform at its best, it needs an accurate database of contact information, associated with addresses. That’s why the public’s help is needed. To ensure your information is included in this database, you must sign up. Registering is free online, CRgov.com/CodeRED.

Required information includes: First and last name, street address (no P.O. Boxes), city, state, ZIP code and primary phone number. Data will be kept confidential.

Residents can sign up using landlines, cell phone numbers and emails, because dispatch centers can also use CodeRED to send messages via text message or email. Signing up allows residents to set their contact preferences. Should residents move, they will need to register again with the new address.
Residents should be aware that the County will test the system at 1 p.m. on Oct. 10. Those registered will receive the type of notification for which they signed up at that time.

For more information about this new system, including a list of frequently asked questions, visit CRgov.com/codeRED.

CodeRED will alert people of incidents in their area. The Town also uses its Facebook and Twitter accounts to keep the public updated on events and issues and during emergencies. Visit facebook.com/CRgov and follow the Town @CRgov.

DISCLAIMER: The CodeRED™ notification service (the “Service”) is provided as a supplemental emergency communication method and should not be relied upon exclusively. Douglas County Emergency Telephone Service Authority (the “Authority”) makes no warranties of any kind, either express or implied, with regards to the Service, including without limitation, warranties about the accuracy, completeness, or delivery of any information posted or transmitted by the Authority through the CodeRED™ System. Although CodeRED™ is an important tool for the Authority’s use in the event of an emergency, there is no guarantee that notification will reach any particular resident upon activation. By providing the Service, the Authority does not assume a duty of care and does not waive any of the protections of the Colorado Governmental Immunity Act (§ 24-10-101, et seq., C.R.S.). The Authority, its affiliates, agents, or contractors, or their respective employees, shall not be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, reliance, punitive, or consequential damages or for lost profits or revenues or lost data or costs of cover relating to the Service, regardless of the legal theory under which liability is asserted.