Cascade County Disaster & Emergency Services (DES) is encouraging people to register for the emergency notification alert system used by the county, called CodeRED.
CodeRED sends critical, time-sensitive alerts to everyone who is registered, allowing people to quickly get important information about what is going on in their area.
“You just don't know what could happen. We are in a situation where we have all kinds of things around us, [we have] planes, trains, we have lots of highways, we have lots of seasonal weather,” explained Glenna Violette, assistant for Cascade County DES. “In a case of an emergency, if we need to have you shelter in place, if you need to be evacuated, you'll be getting these alerts. And it could be for a lot of different things; it might just be notification letting you know something is going on in the area.”
CodeRED is a free service offered to every person in Cascade County; however, it is a service that requires you to register for and opt-in to.
Alerts can be received through phone calls, text messages, emails, and social media.
Violette explained the purpose of CodeRED, and said “You can be safe and know what's going on, and not go and be a ‘Looky Lou’ at something that you shouldn't be. The last thing our first responders need to have, is more people in this situation.”
Cascade County has used CodeRED as a means of mass notification for more than 10 years. The notification system has aided in various emergency situations, from fires to evacuations to missing persons, and more.
“My advice and [DES] advice is for everyone to sign up, to be notified, be aware. You need to be aware of your surroundings and what's going on,” said Violette.
Code Red system is free - but you must sign up to receive alerts. Once you register, you must specifically opt-in to receive alerts.
For more information, contact the Cascade County DES office or the City of Great Falls.
To sign up for the service, click here.
