Delta County Office of Emergency Management

Jan Speas – Public Information Officer

501 Palmer Street, Suite 350 ~ Delta, CO 81416

Phone: (970) 874-2028 Fax: (970) 399-2950

jspeas@deltacounty.com

News Release

Delta County to Test CodeRed Emergency Alert System April 18

Delta, Colo. – April 11, 2018 – Delta County’s Office of Emergency Management will be testing the County’s CodeRed Emergency Alert System beginning at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, April 18. CodeRed is the system that allows Delta County Emergency Services to immediately notify citizens within a designated area of current or potential life-threatening information via recorded message, text message, and/or email. The tests will occur in the Delta area at 6:00 p.m., the Surface Creek area (including Orchard City and Cedaredge) at 7:00 p.m., and in the North Fork area (including Hotchkiss, Crawford, and Paonia) at 8:00 p.m.

In order to receive CodeRed alerts on your cell phone, your cell phone number must be registered with the system. With more and more people using their cellular phones exclusively these days, it is critical to register cell phones in order to receive emergency information in a timely manner. The easiest way to register is to go to the Delta County website (www.deltacounty.com) and select the “CodeRed Sign Up” button, or go directly to www.deltacounty.com/codered. The system is also capable of delivering messages via TTY (text telephone) for the hearing impaired. If the system dials a residence and gets a voice, it gives a spoken message. If it detects a TTY, it delivers a TTY message.

Jeff Wright, Delta County Emergency Manager, stated that there is a possibility of increased wildfires this year due to the warmer, dryer winter we experienced. Receiving a CodeRed Emergency Notification could make the difference between life and death if such an emergency occurred near you. He strongly encourages everyone with a cell phone to get registered right away and remain vigilant to the weather and the environment around you, as well as how you will respond to emergency events.

Delta County should expect a Code Red Emergency Notification call on Wednesday April 18^th at the times noted above.

For more information, assistance signing up with Code Red, or any questions, or interviews please contact the Emergency Management Director, Jeff Wright, at 970-874-2004. To schedule an interview or for media relations inquiries please contact The Delta County Office of Emergency Management Public Information Officer, Jan Speas, call 970-874-2028.

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