Powhatan County switches to the CodeRED Community Notification System
New high-speed notification solution for time-sensitive messages and alerts
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Powhatan, VA – October 3, 2017 – Powhatan County is proud to announce the launch of our new CodeRED community notification system to send important alerts and time-sensitive messages to staff members and residents. Along with emergency and critical messages, the CodeRED notification system can also enhance our community engagement via the release of important but non-emergency information ranging from road closures and trash collection schedule changes, to special events and other services.
“Upon evaluating our current notification system and other available options, we chose CodeRED for its innovative features, user-friendly platform, and wide spread adoption rates across the country,” said Curt Nellis, Powhatan County’s Emergency Manager. “Their company-owned redundant data centers help ensure our data is safe and that messages are delivered quickly to thousands of individuals within minutes. We’re excited to expand our communication channels with residents to include text, phone, email and social media platforms, from anywhere, providing the information they need-to-know to make better informed decisions.”
Registration for this notification service is customized, allowing residents to choose which alerts they’d like to sign up for and their preferred manner of receipt. Residents can select several different methods including landline, cell phone, email, text message, TTY, or even a combination. These alerts can be specific to streets, neighborhoods or regions, so individuals within affected areas are sure to receive this valuable information.
The benefits of using CodeRED don’t just pertain to our residents, as staff members will also use the system to communicate emergency and critical information with one another. This will help us ensure our emergency response and daily operations are even more efficient.
Additionally, residents and visitors alike can keep track of alerts in Powhatan County with the CodeRED Mobile App, which notifies smartphone holders of real-time alerts in the area. Similar to the online registration, users choose which notifications they’d like to receive via the app. Authorized county personnel will have access to the CodeRED Launcher - an app that allows authorized public safety officials to create and send messages on the go from any smartphone or tablet within seconds, without requiring a computer.
“The mobile technology for CodeRED is extremely advanced, providing us enhanced flexibility to issue general and/or emergency messages from any location,” said Curt Nellis “We can launch alerts from anywhere at any time, and residents impacted by weather and other time-sensitive events will receive them directly to their smartphones. This all happens within seconds, which can make a huge difference in saving lives.”
All residents are encouraged to visit www.powhatanva.gov navigate to the Emergency Management page to sign up for CodeRED and immediately start receiving these informative, life-saving alerts.
For more information on the CodeRED notification system or registration, please contact Powhatan Alert at (804) 598-2800 or powhatanalert@powhatanva.gov.
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