(Aug. 31, 2017) The Town of Berlin made frequent use of its CodeRED emergency notification system in the last several weeks, although some residents apparently found the service a little too invasive.
Put into effect in 2014, the notification system can send texts or emails and deliver phone messages during emergencies, both small and large.
On Aug. 19, CodeRED alerted residents of a gas leak on William Street that closed two streets for several hours.
The State Highway Administration closed the intersection of Burley Street and South Main Street for about four hours on Aug. 21, and for about eight hours on Aug. 22. In each case, alerts were sent.
Another alert was sent out on Aug. 21 when a tree limb knocked out power lines for about 700 customers. The outage reportedly lasted 40 minutes to an hour.
“I worry a little bit about whether we’re sending [alerts] out too many times,” Town Administrator Laura Allen said. “We’ve had a couple of outages, one in particular affecting quite a few people … and so folks are getting quite a few CodeRED announcements.”
Allen said some residents recently opted out of the service, apparently because of the high volume of alerts sent during a relatively short span of time. Most, however, seem happy with its frequency.
She said the town could tailor the alerts to be more localized. A recent outage at the Bay Terrace Garden Apartments was sent only to residents there who signed up for the service.
“It’s intended to be a useful service and I do think it helps get the word out to community members,” Allen said.
Typically, alerts are not sent out to “close the loop” when an emergency or other situation has passed, although Allen said the town would probably start posting all clear messages on the town website (www.berlinmd.gov) or Facebook (www.facebook.com/berlinmaryland).
For more information or to sign up for CodeRED in Berlin, visit www.berlinmd.gov/department/emergency-notification-2.
For Ocean Pines residents, there is a similar service called “PinesAlerts.”
Marketing and Public Relations Director Denise Sawyer emailed the following statement on the service last Thursday.
“The Ocean Pines Association is increasing the public’s awareness of emergencies through the use of its new ‘PinesAlerts’ notification system, which is being powered by the Delmarva Broadcasting Company. The notifications would include alerts for events such as road/traffic closures, power outages, severe weather, and other public safety events.
“The Ocean Pines Police Department will also utilize the ‘PinesAlerts’ text message-based system to warn residents of major crime alerts. The alert system is now in place for anyone to sign up and begin receiving text message alerts from the association.
“To sign up, Ocean Pines residents and guests should text the word PINES to 88474. Signup is free. Standard text message and data charges may apply. Subscribers will not be overloaded with text messages.”
Put into effect in 2014, the notification system can send texts or emails and deliver phone messages during emergencies, both small and large.
On Aug. 19, CodeRED alerted residents of a gas leak on William Street that closed two streets for several hours.
The State Highway Administration closed the intersection of Burley Street and South Main Street for about four hours on Aug. 21, and for about eight hours on Aug. 22. In each case, alerts were sent.
Another alert was sent out on Aug. 21 when a tree limb knocked out power lines for about 700 customers. The outage reportedly lasted 40 minutes to an hour.
“I worry a little bit about whether we’re sending [alerts] out too many times,” Town Administrator Laura Allen said. “We’ve had a couple of outages, one in particular affecting quite a few people … and so folks are getting quite a few CodeRED announcements.”
Allen said some residents recently opted out of the service, apparently because of the high volume of alerts sent during a relatively short span of time. Most, however, seem happy with its frequency.
She said the town could tailor the alerts to be more localized. A recent outage at the Bay Terrace Garden Apartments was sent only to residents there who signed up for the service.
“It’s intended to be a useful service and I do think it helps get the word out to community members,” Allen said.
Typically, alerts are not sent out to “close the loop” when an emergency or other situation has passed, although Allen said the town would probably start posting all clear messages on the town website (www.berlinmd.gov) or Facebook (www.facebook.com/berlinmaryland).
For more information or to sign up for CodeRED in Berlin, visit www.berlinmd.gov/department/emergency-notification-2.
For Ocean Pines residents, there is a similar service called “PinesAlerts.”
Marketing and Public Relations Director Denise Sawyer emailed the following statement on the service last Thursday.
“The Ocean Pines Association is increasing the public’s awareness of emergencies through the use of its new ‘PinesAlerts’ notification system, which is being powered by the Delmarva Broadcasting Company. The notifications would include alerts for events such as road/traffic closures, power outages, severe weather, and other public safety events.
“The Ocean Pines Police Department will also utilize the ‘PinesAlerts’ text message-based system to warn residents of major crime alerts. The alert system is now in place for anyone to sign up and begin receiving text message alerts from the association.
“To sign up, Ocean Pines residents and guests should text the word PINES to 88474. Signup is free. Standard text message and data charges may apply. Subscribers will not be overloaded with text messages.”