Oktibbeha County will change emergency notification providers in the coming weeks after supervisors approved a contract with Emergency Communications Network for its CodeRED system.
Once residents sign up, the system will push various alerts — from National Weather Service-issued notices, to local messages about boil water incidents, road closures and detour announcements — to cellphones and email accounts.
The switch will save a nominal amount compared to its current deal with Global Security System’s Alert FM network. Supervisors will split the yearly cost — about $8,000 annually — with Starkville, while collecting a small fee from Maben and Sturgis.
The service should go live for residents in the coming weeks, Oktibbeha County Emergency Management Agency Director Shank Phelps said, but he did not have an exact date since the contract itself has not yet been delivered to ECN.
“Technology is changing every day. Years from now, we might have a new system. But right now, this is the best thing based on my research. It’ll be good for the county,” he said. “Say our radio systems went down. We can use this thing to help dispatch firefighters and other first responders to events. Everyone always has their cellphones on them. These alerts could help save lives.”
Phelps said CodeRED will allow officials to issue area-specific warnings and alerts, thereby directing information to residents with precision.
Other area counties also use the service, and officials said Oktibbeha was able to receive it at a reduced rate because of the local partnership.
OCEMA will start a sign-up campaign once the system is activated for Oktibbeha County. Phelps said he will visit with large apartment complexes to help get the word out to as many people as possible.
The CodeRED app can be found by visiting your smartphone’s app store.
For more information, call OCEMA at 662-338-1076.
Carl Smith covers Starkville and Oktibbeha County for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter @StarkDispatch
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