What us to call you in an emergency? Give us your number today! 

Answer: CodeRED is a new Hardin County service by which City or County officials can notify residents by telephone about emergency situations or critical community alerts.

The system is capable of sending messages only to people affected by a particular situation, or, in the case of a widespread emergency like a tornado, to the County’s entire population.

The speed of the CodeRED system (up to 60,000 calls per hour) is so great that the County is able to send a  message to affected households almost as quickly as officials become aware of the situation.

Answer: No. Hardin County respects your privacy. CodeRED will be used only when situations arise that you should know about.

The system will be used to send messages only to those residents who are directly affected by a particular event. For example, if you happen to live in an area for which a “boil water” advisory has been issued due to a water main break, CodeRED will call only you and your neighbors to deliver that very important health advisory.

If there is a county-wide emergency such as a tornado, all Hardin County residents will be called and kept up to date on developments.

Answer: CodeRED is an additional measure of safety the Hardin County Emergency Management Agency believes all of our residents need and deserve. If power goes out, you may not be able to depend upon radio and TV. However, because telephone lines are self-powered, the County can continue to keep you informed through messages delivered by CodeRED. 

Even if you have power, CodeRED will probably be able to reach you with important information faster than TV and radio stations can put it on the air. That’s because CodeRED is a direct connection between you and Hardin County.

Many emergencies occur without advance warning. In such cases, you may have no reason to turn on a TV or radio. That’s when CodeRED can help County officials alert you immediately and advise you to take appropriate action.

Answer: There are two ways you can continue to receive telephone messages from the City through CodeRED:

1. Make sure you have at least one working corded telephone – and be sure to turn the ringer on.

2. The CodeRED “Residential Data Collection” sign-up form gives you the option of filling in both a Primary Phone number and an alternate phone number. You can fill in the Alternate Phone number blank with your cell telephone number, or you can make it your Primary Phone number if you wish. Entering an alternate phone number will cause BOTH your primary and alternate phone numbers to be called.

Of course, no form of communication is guaranteed to remain in operation under severe conditions such as those produced by a powerful tornado or a wildfire. CodeRED does widen the safety margin by offering Hardin County residents another new and powerful means of learning about vital, timely information.

Answer: We strongly encourage you to sign up for CodeRED. After all, you are the most reliable source of information about how to reach your household by phone.

Because Hardin County wants to reach everyone affected by an emergency whether or not they have signed up for CodeRED, two Hardin County telephone number databases are already available to the system. One is the emergency 9-1-1 database all public safety agencies in Hardin County use whenever someone dials 9-1-1. The other is a database prepared by the company that supplies CodeRED service to the County. Both databases are updated regularly.

If you have moved or changed your telephone number recently, you should definitely sign up for CodeRED service or update information you have already provided. Any new information you supply will automatically replace old information.

Answer: The home page of the Hardin County website will have a link to a CodeRED Residential Data Collection Form you can fill out online. This is the quickest, easiest way to sign up because the information you supply will immediately update Hardin County's CodeRED telephone number database.

Answer: Yes. Hardin County respects your privacy.

If you do not want to receive calls, please notify Hardin County, preferably in writing. However, we strongly advise you to reconsider. CodeRED is designed to make certain you receive fast, accurate emergency information directly from the County officials whose job is to help protect you and your family.

Answer: Emergency Communications Network in Ormond Beach, Florida, provides the service to Hardin County. In business since 1996, the company provides CodeRED service to approximately 30% of Florida counties and 10% of Florida cities. Among CodeRED’s many current clients are Venice, Orlando, Orange County, Naples, Marco Island, Longboat Key, Ft. Myers Beach and Collier County.

One of the many reasons Hardin County chose CodeRED was the very positive experience of other communities using the system.

Answer: No, unfortunately. Hardin County pays for CodeRED service based on its own population. However, we encourage you to check with the county or city in which you live. Many use automated telephone notification systems to alert residents in times of emergency.

For updates, you can also check local news media sources and visit the Hardin County website.

County staff members will regularly check the CodeRED database and eliminate addresses and telephone numbers not located within Hardin County's borders.