[Durham INC] Durham 911 Center Debuts Weather Warning Service

Wed Feb 8 09:28:25 EST 2012

CITY OF DURHAM

Office of Public Affairs

101 City Hall Plaza

Durham, NC 27701

News Release

For Details, Contact:

Amy Blalock

Sr. Public Affairs Specialist

(919) 560-4123 x 11253

(919) 475-7735 (cell)

Amy.Blalock at DurhamNC.gov

For Immediate Release:  February 8, 2012

Durham 911 Center Debuts New Weather Warning Service

New Service to Help Notify Community During Severe Weather Emergencies

DURHAM, N.C. - The next time severe weather comes to Durham, residents
and businesses in the path of the storm will get a call if they have
registered for Durham's new CodeRED(r) Weather Warning Service.

The Durham Emergency Communications Center has recently updated its
account with Emergency Communications Network, providers of the Center's
current CodeRED high-speed notification solution, to now include the
CodeRED Weather Warning Service. This opt-in weather warning service,
which is at no cost to residents and businesses in Durham County, will
issue an automated alert to those in the path of severe weather just
moments after a warning has been issued by the National Weather
Service's Storm-Based Warnings. 

According to Durham Emergency Communications Center Director James
Soukup, the severe weather experienced last spring, which lead to
several fatalities in the Triangle area, prompted his department and the
Durham City-County Emergency Management Department to look for more ways
to help alert residents to severe weather. "With some forms of severe
weather, there is very little time to get to a safe area or seek
shelter. When severe weather strikes during the night, it's even more
difficult for alerts to get out since people are asleep," Soukup said.
"We were seeking another tool to help us reach out directly to our
residents and an immediate phone call using CodeRED seemed like a great
solution to help supplement the other systems in place for severe
weather notifications."

According to Soukup, residents and businesses who want to register their
phone numbers for this service need to simply visit the City's website
and follow the online instructions. "We want all residents and
businesses to register, as well as all individuals who have unlisted
phone numbers, who have changed their phone number or address within the
past year, and those who use a cellular phone or VoIP phone as their
primary number," Soukup said. "Those without Internet access may contact
Durham One Call at (919) 560-1200, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to
6 p.m., to supply their information over the phone and we'll get them
registered." 

When messages are sent by this system, recipients with Caller ID
displays will see Emergency Communications Network or the number
800-566-9780 for all CodeRED Weather Warning calls. 

The Durham Emergency Communications Center already uses the CodeRED
system to communicate crime alerts and other emergency updates; however,
users signed up for these types of alerts will need to opt-in from the
City's website to begin receiving weather alerts too. Later this month,
all land lines listed in Durham County, as well as all the phones
numbers currently registered in the CodeRED system for other types of
alerts, will receive an automated call regarding the new weather alert
system with instructions on how to register for this new opt-in service.

The annual fee of $15,000 to provide the new severe weather notification
component of the CodeRED system is being funded by the Durham
City-County Emergency Management Department.  

To register for the CodeRED Weather Warning System, visit the City's
website at http://DurhamNC.gov/ich/op/911/Pages/CodeRED.aspx and click
on the link entitled "Residential, Business, and Weather Warning Data
Update Page."

For more information, contact Soukup at (919) 560-4191 or by email at 
James.Soukup at DurhamNC.gov. 

About the Durham Emergency Communications Center 

The Durham Emergency Communications Center is the primary public safety
answering point for the City and County of Durham. Guided by the City's
Strategic Plan, the Center helps to ensure that Durham is a safe and
secure community by providing around-the-clock 911 access and services
to the residents and user agencies in and around Durham County. Services
include, but are not limited to, emergency and non-emergency requests
for assistance; dispatch of police, fire, and emergency medical
services; other city/county support agencies; and other duties as
required. The geographic service area encompasses 296 square miles with
approximately 250,000 residents. The Center has earned the
internationally recognized APCO Project 33 Certification from the
Association of Public Safety Communications Officials International,
Inc.; Emergency Medical Dispatch Accreditation by the National Academy
of Emergency Medical Dispatch; and accreditation by the Commission for
Accreditation of Law Enforcement  Agencies. The Center was the first,
and currently, one of only three centers in the world to hold these
three accreditations simultaneously. For more information, visit 
http://DurhamNC.gov/ich/op/911/Pages/Home.aspx.  

About the Emergency Communications Network Inc.

The Emergency Communications Network Inc. (ECN) provides affordable,
high-speed notification solutions capable of reaching millions of
residents in minutes. ECN's sophisticated network supports a web-based
product suite featuring CodeRED(r) which enables local government
officials to communicate time-sensitive, personalized messages via
voice, email and text messaging; CodeRED Weather Warning(tm) which
provides automated alerts to residents in the path of severe weather
just moments after a warning has been issued by the National Weather
Service; CheckUp Call(tm) for scheduling calls to check on at-risk
individuals, including the elderly, infirm and latchkey kids; and
CodeED(r) for use by school systems to improve communications with their
communities. For more information, visit 
www.EmergencyCommunications.net.

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