Press releases

City of Edina implements emergency notification system

Edina, Minn., Sept. 21, 2007 – The City of Edina has implemented a telephone notification system for use during public safety emergencies.

The City of Edina has contracted with Emergency Communications Network, Inc., of Ormond Beach, Fla., for its "CodeRED" high-speed telephone emergency notification services. The CodeRED system gives City officials the ability to deliver urgent pre-recorded emergency telephone messages to targeted areas or the entire community at a rate of up to 60,000 calls per hour. Messages could be sent for such disasters as storms, hazardous material spills, illness outbreaks or pandemics, terrorist attacks or other major emergencies such as a missing person.

When a message is sent, caller IDs will display “999-911-9999.” All messages will begin with “This is a CodeRED message from the City of Edina.” If a phone is not answered, the system will try again, up to three times.

The backbone of the system is the City’s telephone database of properties in the community. Deputy Police Chief Ken Carlson cautioned that such systems are only as good as the databases supporting them. The City’s database contains the numbers of most landlines in the community, but does not include residents’ unlisted or work or cellular telephone numbers. "If your phone number is not in the database, you will not be called," he said.

To ensure no one is omitted, Carlson urges individuals and businesses to log onto the City of Edina's website, www.CityofEdina.com/EmergencyPreparedness, and follow the link to the "CodeRED Residential and Business Data Collection" page. 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 are optional.

No one should automatically assume his or her phone number is included, Carlson said. All businesses should register, as well as individuals who have unlisted phone numbers, who have changed their phone number or address within the last year, or who use a cellular phone as their primary home phone. To receiving CodeRED messages, those with call blocks should program their system to allow incoming calls from 999-911-9999.

Carlson 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 corresponding Edina 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.

"CodeRED gives those who want to be included an easy and secure method for doing so,” Carlson said. The information will only be used for emergency notification purposes.

For more information, visit www.CityofEdina.com/EmergencyPreparedness or call Carlson, 952-826-0479.