A presentation will be given by K.C. Williams, Disaster and Emergency Coordinator for Yellowstone County, providing information about CodeRed Emergency Notifications System. This system is new to Yellowstone County and the City of Billings, but has been utilized in communities all over the U.S. for a number of years. An emergency professional's ability to relay information to residents is critical to public safety. CodeRED allows for weather alerts, evacuation notices, boil water notices, missing persons alerts, BOLO alerts, bio-terrorism alerts, etc. to be broadcast from a number of agencies such as the Department of Environmental Sciences, Police, Fire, FBI, National Weather Service and others. It provides real-time updates that can provide life-saving instructions and information via calls to landline phones, e-mails, and cell phone texts or audio alerts up to 25 mile radius of a crisis. The alerts may also be shared with friends and family on social media via a linked Facebook or Twitter accounts. 

The CodeRED Mobile Alert app is free. This advanced technology provides real-time, location-specific alerts to subscribers anywhere in the U.S. and Canada.

• No action is required by City Council

The City currently pays an annual fee which is 2/3rds of the cost of the annual subscription which is approximately $13,000 - $16,000.

No recommendation required.