Smithtown partners with Suffolk to use high-speed emergency notification system

The Town of Smithtown has partnered with the Suffolk County Department of Fire Rescue and Emergency Services in using a high-speed notification system to contact residents in case of an actual or impending emergency.

The CodeRED emergency notification system is a telephone-calling service that delivers customized prerecorded emergency messages to individuals, homes and businesses. The service can also send high-speed email and text messages, officials said.

Smithtown Public Safety Director John Valentine was not available to comment.

The system also incorporates a mapping tool that allows the town to send notifications to specific geographic areas by ZIP code or in a specific radius from an emergency event, officials said.

The type of events that may be considered for public notification include natural disasters, snow emergencies, street closures, severe weather warnings, water contamination, public disturbances and snow plowing, officials said.

The Village of Head of the Harbor plans to join in the notification efforts, said Mayor Douglas Dahlgard.

"It's extremely important to use the resources of the Town of Smithtown because they are the leaders in the area," Dahlgard said.

Communication is "critical" in emergency situations and the village has its own emergency alert system that residents can sign up for on the village website at villagehohny.org, he said.

"We have a limited amount of roads in and out of the village, so if we have down power lines or down trees, village residents should be notified about that," he said.