Reading Switches to the CodeRED Notification System

From the Town of Reading: The Town of Reading is pleased to announce the launch of its new CodeRED community notification system to send important alerts and time-sensitive messages to staff members and residents. Along with emergency and critical messages, the CodeRED notification system can also enhance community engagement via the release of important but non-emergency information ranging from road closures and trash collection schedule changes, to construction and traffic alerts, bill payment reminders, and other Town services.

“We chose CodeRED for its innovative features, reliability, user-friendly platform, and information security,” said Reading Town Manager Bob LeLacheur. “We’re excited to have the ability to communicate with our residents through text, phone, email and social media, from the field or at our offices, providing the information that people need to make better informed decisions.”

Several particular features contributed to the adoption of the CodeRED system including the ability to publish notifications across social media platforms automatically, two-way texting for internal communications, listing of the last few alerts directly on the town’s website, and the ability for call recipients to call back and receive the last alert sent to their number.

Registration for this notification service is customized, allowing residents to choose which alerts they’d like to sign up for and how they would prefer to receive them. Residents can choose several different methods: landline, cell phone, email, text message, TTY, or even a combination. These alerts can be specific to streets, neighborhoods, or regions so that residents in affected areas are sure to receive this valuable information.

Residents that signed up for notifications from the previous system do not need to re-register, though they can choose to if they wish. The system automatically de-duplicates entries and will not call the same number twice for a single alert. In order to manage opt-in subscriptions, residents will need to create a new “managed” account.

Reading staff will also use the system to communicate emergency information with one another. This will help us ensure that emergency responses and daily operations are even more efficient.

Additionally, residents and visitors alike can keep track of alerts in Reading with the CodeRED Mobile App, which notifies smartphone holders of real-time alerts in the area. Similar to the online registration, users choose which notifications they’d like to receive via the app.

All residents are encouraged to visit the Town’s website, Readingma.gov, to sign up for Community Alerts from CodeRED. For more information on the CodeRED notification system or registration, please contact Jayne Miller, Business Administrator at jmiller@ci.reading.ma.us

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