Kennebunk Introduces CodeRED Emergency Communications System Posted:  November 3, 2009

The Town of Kennebunk has recently contracted with Emergency Communications Network to license its CodeRED high-speed notification system. CodeRED will provide Kennebunk officials with the ability to quickly deliver both emergency and non-emergency messages to the entire Kennebunk community or to specifically targeted areas. Such messages would include natural or man-made disasters, health department announcements, search and rescue efforts, public works notices, crime warnings, etc.

Kennebunk Police Department's Communications Commander Lt. Anthony Bean Burpee cautioned that such systems are only as good as the telephone number database supporting them. “If citizen's phone numbers are not in the database they will not be called when the CodeRED system is activated,” Lt. Bean Burpee commented. One reason why the CodeRED system was selected was because it gives individuals and businesses the ability to add their own phone numbers directly into the system's Town of Kennebunk database, which is an extremely important feature. While a large amount of telephone numbers have already been loaded into the database via CodeRED after utilizing information obtained from Internet White Pages web sources, no one should automatically assume his or her phone number has been included.

Town officials are urging all individuals and businesses to log onto the Kennebunk Police Department's website at http://www.kennebunkpolice.maine.org and follow the link to the “CodeRED Community Notification Enrollment” page. Those without Internet access may have family members or friends with computer availability complete the enrollment form on their behalf, or may visit the Kennebunk Free Library in order to use one of their public computers. Required information should include first and last name, street address (a physical address, no P.O. boxes), city, state, zip code, and primary phone number. Additional contact phone numbers can be entered on the enrollment form as well. Individuals and businesses who have unlisted phone numbers, have changed phone numbers or addresses within the past year, or who use a cellular phone or VoIP phone as their primary contact number should also register.

The CodeRED system allows geographically based delivery, which means street addresses are required to ensure emergency notification calls are received by the proper individuals in a given situation. The system works for cell phones too; however, the town needs to have an associated street address in order to provide relevant messages. CodeRED gives those who want to be included an easy and secure method for inputting information. Data collected will only be used for emergency notification purposes.

CodeRED is able to deliver up to 1,000 calls per minute and will attempt to contact each telephone record up to three times in order to maximize the number of delivered messages. CodeRED will deliver messages to a live person or to an answering machine. To learn more about the CodeRED system residents can access their website directly at

http://www.coderedweb.net