Centre County Government, through the Department of 9-1-1, subscribes to an emergency communications network known as OnSolve. Onsolve CodeRED is a mass notification system used to alert the public about high level situations or incidents that may impact your safety. When seconds count, you can rely on CodeRED to notify you if your jurisdiction experiences any situation that requires immediate public awareness. This system allows large numbers of people to quickly receive targeted emergency notifications. Thousands of messages sent simultaneously. As a local resident of Centre County, Pennsylvania, we encourage you to take action and register your home address, home phone number, cell phone and email address for this free service. Enrollment into the program is completely voluntary by the individual.
Centre County 9-1-1 has used CodeRED in the past for:
• Missing Persons • Set-up/location of emergency shelters
• Escaped Inmates • Bank Robbery
• Criminal Activity • Active Shooters
It is not limited to those particular types of events. It can be used for any local or state wide
declaration of emergency – for example:
• Emergency Evacuation Notices • Power Outages
How does it work? It is based on the location/address of the incident. Alerts are based on where the incident is taking place. The public who live within the targeted area of the incident (radius or circumference chosen by the activating authority) will receive the emergency message. If you live outside of the chosen radius, you will not receive the alert. When the event is over, a second statement is issued cancelling the alert.
Do I need to register? Yes! Enrollment is absolutely free and completely voluntary! Enroll as many family members as needed. You can select one or all three methods of contact: by voice (call), text or email. Click here to go to the SIGN UP PAGE.
If you do not have access to the Internet or a computer and you want to enroll, call the Centre County 9-1-1 Admin Office at (814)355-6800. We’d be happy to do that for you!
WORTH NOTING: It is your responsibility to keep your information current. If you move, or if you change your phone number or email address, you must update these changes with CodeRED directly. If you do not update your information, you will miss an emergency message.
CELL PHONE PROVIDERS
If you receive text messages on your cell phone…..when you enroll online, you will need to list your cell phone service provider. Verizon, Sprint, AT&T, and TMobile are the four primary carriers.
If you do not receive text messages, do not select a provider. You will receive alert messages through voicemail only.
Why do I need to know this? Because of the way these networks send out their text messages. Some networks use MMS while others use SMS. If you use the wrong network, you may not receive the alert, or it will not be legible.
If you have a prepaid cell phone like Metro PCS, Straight Talk, Boost or Tracfone for example, you will need to contact them to confirm the appropriate network they use. For Example: Straight Talk uses Verizon network, and Boost uses the Sprint Network just to name a few. There are so many prepaid companies out there, it is best to confirm if you are not certain.
Tracfone users absolutely must call Tracfone because the network is based on the phone that you purchased (per the Tracfone personnel on February 22, 2019).
Checkout the App for Androids and iPhones:
CodeRED also has an APP too! You can download this FREE app from your cell phone App Store or Google Play. This app is designed for the traveler, to keep users safe and informed while on the go.
It is connected to the navigation system on your cell phone. The CodeRED APP is an additional tool to keep visitors informed about important information that may impact their safety while traveling through a district or neighborhood across the state or across the United States.
If you are traveling outside of Centre County, you’ll receive alerts through the APP, as well as, alerts pertaining to your home will come through as a text message and voicemail but only if you registered your home address & cell phone with CodeRED.
Important Info about the APP:
• you must turn on your navigation device on your phone for this to work.
• heavy battery usage.
• there is an option for Weather Notification – this option has a 99 cent one-time fee associated with it.