Town Urges Residents To Register For Emergency Messages

By Andrew Gorosko

Town officials again are urging residents and business owners to register their telephone numbers with the town’s Code Red notification system, a computerized, automated telephone calling system that provides recorded messages to alert people of local emergencies.

The town acquired the Code Red system in March. The town first used the system to notify residents of problems caused by the heavy rains that hit the area on April 15 and 16.

On April 16, the town made a series of Code Red telephone calls to notify residents of road closures and also the availability of public shelter at Newtown Middle School, said Emergency Management Director Bill Halstead.

The town placed 8,492 calls to inform people that emergency shelter would be available. Approximately 4,305 of those calls were received, either by people answering the call or by answering machines. In a second round of calling to reach people who had not received the initial call, about 4,187 calls were placed, with 808 of those calls received, said Mr Halstead.

Also, the town made two other rounds of calls that day to specific geographical areas that were affected by road closures due to flooding.

Donna Culbert said the public response to the Code Red system has been “very positive.” Ms Culbert is the deputy director for emergency management.

The Code Red calls are not received if no person or if no answering machine answers the telephone, if the telephone line is busy with another call, if the telephone line is busy due to use by a dial-up Internet connection, or if the Code Red system has inaccurate dialing information.

Since the town unveiled the Code Red system in early March, more than 300 people have registered their telephone numbers with the town to ensure that they will receive Code Red calls, Mr Halstead said.

The town’s telephone number database does not have all of the numbers for local businesses, so it is important for business owners to register their telephone numbers, he said.

“We’d like to [obtain] every phone number for residences and businesses,” Mr Halstead said. Town officials assure residents that the telephone number database would not be used for commercial purposes.

The town has a database of more than 9,000 listed telephone numbers for the Code Red system.

All registered telephone numbers in the system’s database are cross-referenced to a street address. Such an indexing system allows a particular geographical area to be targeted for calls in the event of an emergency. Cellular telephone numbers may be provided, but those numbers must be accompanied by street addresses.

“No one should automatically assume his or her phone number is included…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 telephone as their primary home phone,” Mr Halstead has said.

People who have recently moved, but who have kept the same listed or unlisted telephone number, also need to change their street addresses in the database at the Code Red website.

Emergency notifications may include topics such as weather problems, road closures, natural gas leaks, major fires, major motor vehicle accidents, hazardous material spills, flooding, missing children, emergencies at Garner Correctional Institution, and certain school-related matters.

Mr Culbert said the system also may be used for messages about water main breaks, water supply problems, sewer problems, electrical outages, the spread of infectious diseases, and other topics.

The Code Red messages include telephone numbers through which residents can obtain additional information, she said.

Mr Halstead urges that all residents and business owners visit the town website at www.newtown-ct.gov to enter their telephone number to ensure that the Code Read system has the most current and accurate information available.

After a resident reaches the town’s home page on the Internet, they should scroll down to the “News and Announcements” section and then click on the “Emergency Notification System” or the “Code Red” logo. This will bring them onto a webpage that explains the system and allows them to enter their contact information.

If a resident does not have access to a computer, or requires assistance with this task, they can call the fire marshal’s office at 270-4370.