Cranston Signs On to CodeRED Emergency Alert System

CRANSTON, RI—The city has joined the ranks of numerous other communities and has implemented the CodeRED emergency notification system.

The system enables the city to send important alerts and emergency information with phone calls, text messages, email and social media posts in addition to broadcasts through the CodeRED mobile alert app.

The system can be a powerful tool in alerting residents of incidents that affect specific geographic areas, such as a water main break that might affect water quality for a cluster of homes or a gas leak that causes an evacuation.

"We are very happy to have this technology to enhance our emergency preparedness plans," said Fire Chief William Mckenna.

The city expects to use the system to notify residents in specific areas of fires and police emergencies along with hazardous conditions, storms, floods and missing children notices.

For the system to be effective, residents need to sign up for the CodeRED alerts on the city of Cranston website if they're not already in the system. The city is launching the service with an "initial database" of residential and business numbers but a large number of people, especially those without residential land lines, aren't in the database.

"No one should assume they have been automatically added to the emergency contact database," a city news release stated.

Signing up is easy. The system asks for phone numbers and email addresses to send alerts. Information can be changed with a username and password.

Cranston Mayor Allan W. Fung said that the program will enable Cranston to stay up-to-date with the latest public safety technology.

"This system will allow us to get critical information out to the community during times of crisis. I commend the men and women of our public safety department for their efforts in implementing this new system in a seamless manner," Fung said in a release.

Along with the alert system, the city has contracted to use the CodeRED Weather Warning system to notify residents of thunderstorms, severe weather and flash floods. While Cranston isn't located in an area where tornadoes are common, severe weather events are on the rise in recent years and city officials want to be ready if disaster strikes.