Renville County launches CodeRED emergency system

OLIVIA -- The Renville County Sheriff’s Office is implementing a high-speed emergency notification system called CodeRED.
The system will serve as an important component of Renville County’s emergency planning and communications outreach to both citizens and county personnel by being able to send telephone calls, text messages, emails and social media in an effort to effectively inform residents to protect life and property, according to Renville County Sheriff Scott Hable.
“CodeRED’s robust system will provide public safety officials with a reliable, easy-to-use interface to quickly disseminate critical information to our citizens during emergencies,” Hable said in a news release. “We are very eager to use this technology to enhance our emergency preparedness plans.”
The county expects using the system to notify residents in specific geographic locations of various types of emergencies such as evacuation notices, travel emergencies, criminal activity, lost or missing people and others.
Also, the cities in Renville County will have access to the system and can send out notifications of their own, such as parking restrictions, boil water notices and other issues.
The Sheriff’s Office has loaded all land line phone numbers in Renville County into the system from its 911 database. However, all residents living within Renville County are encouraged to visit the Sheriff’s Office website at renvillecountymn.com/sheriff and click on the “CodeRED Community Notification” tab to enroll additional contact information, including cell phone numbers, text and email addresses.
No one should automatically assume they are in the emergency contact database, Hable said.
Renville County residents without Internet access can call or stop at their local police department or the Renville County Sheriff’s Office to register phone numbers.