Emergency Management Agency
Crisp County along with the City of Cordele, Crisp Regional Hospital and the Crisp County Board of Education has contracted with Emergency Communications Network, Inc., of Ormond Beach, Florida, for its "CodeRED" high-speed telephone emergency notification services. The CodeRED system gives officials from each of these local entities the ability to deliver pre-recorded emergency telephone notification/information messages to targeted areas or the entire county at a rate of up to 60,000 calls per hour.
Sheriff Donnie Haralson, Crisp County Emergency Management Agency Director, cautioned that such systems are only as good as the telephone database supporting them. "If your phone number is not in the database, you will not be called". The CodeRED system not only offers faster calling rates and improved message delivery, it gives individuals and businesses the ability to add their own phone numbers directly to the system's telephone database. Sheriff Haralson emphasized that this is an extremely important feature.
To ensure no one is omitted, Sheriff Haralson urges all individuals and businesses to log onto the Crisp County Web Site, the Crisp County Sheriff’s Office Web Site, or the Chamber of Commerce Web Site and follow the link to the "CodeRED Residential and Business Data Collection" page. Those without Internet access may have a friend or relative enter your information and phone numbers for you, or you may access the Internet at the Cordele-Crisp Carnegie Library located at 115 E. 11th Street in Cordele. Required information includes first and last name, street address (physical address, no P.O. boxes), city, state, zip code, and primary phone number, additional phone numbers (optional). You may go into the system and enter as many contact numbers as you wish.
No one should automatically assume his or her phone number is included, Sheriff Haralson said. 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 phone as their primary home phone.
Sheriff Haralson explained that the "CodeRED system is a geographical based notification system, which means street addresses are needed to select which phone numbers will receive emergency notification calls in any given situation. The system works fine for cell phones too, but we have to have a street address". People who have recently moved but kept the same listed or unlisted phone number also need to change their address in the database.
Sheriff Haralson stated, "CodeRED gives those who want to be included an easy and secure method for doing so. The information will only be used for emergency notification purposes". If you have any questions feel free to contact Michael Sangster at the Crisp County Sheriff’s Office, 276-2600 for further assistance.
Simply click on the "Code Red" graphic below to enter your correct contact information and ensure you are notified of emergencies.
