The new Code RED emergency notification system is now being used to alert De Queen, Ark., residents to changes in sanitation routes.
"This is especially useful when trash routes are early due to holidays. Thanksgiving is next week, and the city of De Queen will be closed Thursday and Friday, meaning both trash routes will be collected on Wednesday. It is hard to notify people to put the trash out earlier than normal," De Queen Mayor Billy Ray McKelvy said.
"The Code RED system is primarily for weather warnings, but it can also be used for other purposes such as utility outages and road closure. An area can be defined on a map and a message sent to all subscribers in that area. These general messages will only be sent to people who signed up with the CodeRED system," he said.
"If you are signed up for Code RED but do not have the phone numbers stored in your cell phone, it may look like a telemarketer call. After a pause, a synthesized voice asks the caller to stand by for a message.
"If you have the Code RED numbers stored in your cell phone contacts, caller ID will display the name of the Code RED system. The two numbers that need to be stored are 855-969-4636 and 866-419-5000.
If you sign up for the Code RED system, you can choose to be notified by phone call, text, email or any combination, McKelvy said.
Code RED is a joint project between Sevier County and the city of De Queen. Applications for the system are still being discovered. Weather alerts are sent only if there is a weather warning, not a watch, he said.
"If you would like to be notified of schedule changes, you can sign up for the Code RED system at either the city or county web sites," McKelvy said.