Burlington Switches To New Emergency Notification Service

BURLINGTON, MA — The Burlington Police Department announced that the emergency notification system will be changed from CodeRED to RAVE.

Police Chief Thomas Browne said the department has heard complaints about the user interface of CodeRED and wanted an easier-to-use system for residents.

"After months of research in collaboration with all of the town agencies who regularly or occasionally use CodeRed, we found that RAVE offered the best alternative," Browne said in a statement. "RAVE offers the same capabilities as CodeRed with some minor upgrades, a better interface, and an almost identical annual price point to CodeRed."

Residents can sign up for RAVE now if they wish to receive emergency and routine messages from town agencies in the future. RAVE is a Massachusetts-based company that will provide the same services and features as CodeRED did previously but with an easier-to-use interface, according to the police department.

Families can register multiple cell phone lines and landlines as well as email addresses. To sign up, go here.

The switch took place on July 1. Residents may receive calls from CodeRED telling them about the switch as well as a test call from the new system.

Residents and business owners will be able to go to a web-based self-service portal to change and update their contacts and preferences.

For those who can't do this online themselves, the analyst at the Burlington Police Department, Kate Curtis-Bozio, will be able to help. Kate can be reached via email at kbozio@bpd.org or telephone at 781-505-4969.

As part of the switch to RAVE, the town is also now part of Smart911, a system that can be used to alert first responders to any special concerns that residents may have in the event of an emergency. To learn more or to sign up for Smart911, go here.