CodeRED

CodeRED®: Rapid Emergency Notification System

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Washburn County has instituted a new rapid emergency notification service called CodeRED®. The new system will distribute emergency messages via telephone to targeted areas or the entire county at a rate of 1,500 calls per minute. CodeRED® employs a one-of-a-kind Internet mapping capability for geographic targeting of calls, coupled with a high speed telephone calling system capable of delivering customized pre-recorded emergency messages directly to homes and businesses, live individuals and answering machines.

By registering, you’ll be added to the emergency call list. This service can be used in case of fires, chemical spills, evacuations, lock downs, downed power lines, lost individuals, natural disasters, abductions, water system problems, bomb threats, or other emergencies. Calls can be geographically targeted for localized messaging. If widespread, the entire community could be called within 20 to 30 minutes.

The system also reports who did not get a call so that they may be contacted by other means. Washburn County residents are welcome and encouraged to enter their contact information for home, business, and mobile phones so they may be contacted by the system in the event of an emergency. It is important for city residents and businesses customers to register, especially if they use unlisted numbers, cell phones, or VOIP. Those who do not register their address and phone number may not be notified with CodeRED® in the case of an emergency. Registration is confidential, free, and easy.

Register Today

Stay informed and prepared by registering for Washburn County’s CodeRED® emergency notification system today. It’s free, confidential, and ensures you’ll receive critical updates during emergencies—whether at home, work, or on the go.

Helpful Links

Informational Brochure Privacy Policy Help with Mobile App

CodeRED® FAQs

I received a CodeRED® call, does that mean I am in the CodeRED® database?

Yes. If they would like to submit additional information, such as cell phone numbers, text and email information, they must visit your website and click on the Logo. CodeRED® always de-duplicates by phone number, so if they are unsure if they are registered, they should just submit their information again. This will ensure they are in the database!

Why did CodeRED® call me several times?

If there is no answer and they do not have an answering device, the number will be attempted up to 3 times.

It called me but no message played.

If they answer and do not say hello, CodeRED® will not begin playing automatically. It is trying to determine if it has reached a live person or answering device. If they do not say anything, it will hang up and retry the number in the next pass of the non connected numbers.

Why did it leave only part of the message on my answering machine?

CodeRED® will leave a message on an answering device. There are many different brands and types of capturing devices for leaving a message. Occasionally something about the answering device or the beep of the device causes the system to think it has reached a live person and begins playing the message. When the message is left, it only leaves part of the message. They can call back the 866-419- 5000 and receive the entire message. This does not happen often. There is a chance that they may get a few of these.

Why does my phone ring once and hang up? It has called me twice and won’t let me answer it.

If they have a ring back tone, which plays a song instead of ringing, the system will interpret this as an Operator Intercept and hang up, only to retry the number. They have two options. They can remove the ring back tone or they can contact their cell phone provider and request that the phone number for the general database 855-969-4636 and for the emergency database 866-419-5000 and for CodeRED® Weather Warning 800-366-9780 bypassed by this feature and have it ring normal.