In Case Of Emergency, 911 Calls You

citizen |

by SheRico Jones

In times of emergency, its important to get information out fast. Whether its a missing child, a hazardous chemical spill or a hurricane; time is of the essence. Emergency Communications Networka communications company based in Floridaoffers a service called Code Red, interchangeably known as Outbound 911. Outbound 911 is a service that government, state and local agencies use to contact citizens quickly in case of emergency. Code Red services have been offered to government agencies for over a decade, and now many of Chicagos south suburbs are implementing it.

Code Red is an emergency communication service where state agencies, including police departments, place outbound calls to residents to warn them of emergencies.

The service lets emergency management personnel and state agencies view an area on a [digital] map, said David Digiacomo, President of Emergency Communications Network. They [personnel] can then highlight an area to [generate] a list of people to be called.

Calumet City, East Hazel Crest, Glenwood, Homewood, Posen, and Thornton are the 6 south suburbs (in the Citizens coverage area) that have confirmed via their websites that Outbound 911 is in use. Robert Radcke, Deputy Director of E-Com dispatch with the Glenwood PD, states that Code Red is a very good program.

Weve had to use [Outbound 911] recently, he said. One time was for a flooding emergency, another time we sent a community alert about a violent subject [in the neighborhood]. There was also once a barricade subject and we sent part of the info about him out [to] the community so that if they saw him they would know.

According to Digiacomo, lately one of the biggest uses for Outbound 911 calls is severe weather alerts. With other companies, he says, when storm notifications go out they warn the entire county. Code Reds technology on the other hand can pinpoint exactly where a storm will hit and can warn only those who will actually be affected.

Were the first in the nation to develop an early tornado warning detection tool, Digiacomo said. This is very different than working with the National Weather Service. It pinpoints and warns those who are actually in the path of the storm, reducing false warnings and essentially making warnings more essential to you.

A database of landline phones has already been compiled by participating agencies, but citizens can add their cell phones and email addresses as well.

We create websites for each of our counties, that will allow individuals to go in and sign up and add additional information, Digiacomo said. But the database is only as good as the information in there. Dont assume youre already in the database. Sign up if you want to be protected.

Code Red servers experienced one of their most active weather nights on the evening of April 27th, when tornadoes swept across Alabama. According to Digiacomo, the average rate of Outbound 911 broadcasts was one every 30-60 seconds that night.

Everyone who used [Outbound 911] was happy with the outcome, he said.

Code Red also works closely with the A Child is Missing (ACIM) program. ACIM is a not for profit organization through which law enforcement can activate and send alerts, similar to Outbound 911, to assist in locating missing children. Code Red is the backbone of the program and can be credited with over 1000 recoveries of missing children.

If you live in one of the aforementioned suburbs and want to make sure you are receiving emergency community and weather updates, visit your local police department or your citys website.

Calumet City: www.calumetcity.org

East Hazel Crest: www.easthazelcrest.com

Glenwood: www.villageofglenwood.com

Homewood: www.village.homewood.il.us

Posen: www.villageofposen.com

Thornton: www.thorton60476.org

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