By HEATHER RUPPE
Colleton County residents can now receive texts as part of a mass notification system called “Code Red,” where Colleton County Fire-Rescue can use a public notification system that sends alerts to residents three different ways.
The system can send messages to a home phone or landline; it can send an email; and the system can send a text to your cell.
Colleton County Council recently approved funding for the Code Red system for the entire county.
“We appreciate County Council funding this initiative, which allows us to better protect Colleton citizens,” said Fire-Rescue Chief Barry McRoy. “Code Red notifications are an excellent alternative to social media. Many don’t know whether to follow a government organization on Facebook, Twitter, etc., and given that many agencies have separate social media accounts under the county or municipal government, it may be confusing to know which one to follow for official information. Code Red eliminates that confusion and provides mass notifications from official sources to all those who register,” he said.
CCFR’s “Code Red” platform also interfaces with, or works with, the Integrated Public Alerting and Warning System (IPAWS). The IPAWS system is separate from “Code Red,” and is used statewide as an Emergency Alert System: its messages can be seen on digital road signs, your television, radio announcements and cell phone alerts.
According to McRoy, the IPAWS alerts are used mainly for imminent danger, such as an Amber Alert or a tornado warning. The new “Code Red” system in Colleton County can be used for local notifications, such as localized weather problems or traffic hazards.
“We recently experienced heavy rains in Colleton County that washed out a section of Hendersonville Highway,” said McRoy. “This type of hazard would not rise to the level of an IPAWS alert; however, those registered for Code Red alerts would receive a notification that the road is impassable and to seek an alternative route.”
The Code Red system is available to anyone living in Colleton County. Residents can register to receive notifications by following steps, listed. The information system is based on an address where a person is registered, and does not provide county officials with any personal information of those who are registered into the system, said McRoy.
To register for Code Red and begin receiving alerts, follow these steps:
Go to Colletonfire.com and click on the Code Red banner on the top right of the page.
Create a host account. This is where you will enter how you want to be notified.
You can also register from your cell phone by texting “alertcolleton” to 99411. This will register your mobile device to receive al mass notification from Colleton County’s Code Red alert system. “Code Red notifications always come from the same phone number so you can program a contact in your phone, so that when you receive a Code Red notification, it will show up as a coming from the Code Red system. This is very helpful for those who want to avoid telemarketing or sales calls, but still want to receive important notifications,” said McRoy.
Anyone with questions about the new Code Red alert system can call Colleton County Fire-Rescue at 843-539-1960.
