First Selectman Gordon F. Joseloff has announced that the Town of Westport has contracted with Emergency Communications Network, Inc., of Ormond Beach, Fla., for its CodeRED high-speed telephone emergency notification services.

“This system will improve the safety of all our residents by giving us the ability to deliver emergency telephone notification/information messages to targeted areas or the entire town at the rate of 1,000 calls a minute,” he said.
 
Although the town has a database of numbers, residents and business owners should not assume their number is registered, he said. The Web-based system gives individuals and residents the ability to add their own phone numbers directly to the system's telephone database.

“Such systems are only as good as the telephone database supporting them, “said Christopher Ackley, Westport's Fire Chief and Emergency Management Director.”If your correct phone number is not in the database, you will not be called.”

When residents or businesses change phone numbers they have a responsibility to update those numbers in the Code RED database on the Town of Westport Web site. Ackley said.

To ensure no one is omitted, Ackley urged all individuals and businesses to update their information by following this link to the CodeRED Residential and Business Data Collection page.

Those without Internet access may call Fire Administration at 203-341-5000, Monday through Friday, (8:30 a.m.- 4:30 p.m.) to give their information.

Required information includes first and last name, street address (physical address, no P.O. boxes), city, state, zip code, primary phone number, and one additional phone number such as a cell phone if mobile notification is desired.

No one should automatically assume his or her phone number is included, Ackley said.

"All businesses should register, as well as all individuals who have unlisted phone numbers, or who have changed their phone number or address within the last year, and those who use a cellular phone as their primary home phone,” he said.

Ackley said the CodeRED system is a geographical-based notification system, which means street addresses are needed to select which phone numbers will receive emergency notification calls in any given situation.

The system works for cell phones too, but town system administrators must have a street address for it to be effective. Residents who have recently moved but kept the same listed or unlisted phone number also need to change their address in the database. 

"CodeRED gives those who want to be included an easy and secure method for doing so,” Ackley said. He said the submitted personal information will remain secure and will only be used for emergency notification purposes.