Code Red used to remind residents to remove vehicles from streets

SPEARFISH The Code Red system, a reverse notification system that can call or send message alerts regarding emergency or community information, was used to remind residents citywide Wednesday evening to move any vehicles parked on the streets in preparation of snow removal early the next morning. This was the first time the system was used for this purpose.

Our goal was to just remind people, Spearfish Police Chief Pat Rotert said, describing that since the system was implemented last year, the priority is for the system to be used in emergency situations, such as evacuation notices or missing child alerts, but secondarily, it can be a helpful informational tool. He gave the example that a couple of weeks ago, the system was used to alert residents within a two-block radius around Ames Street that there would be a water shutoff for a short period of time.

The street department approached Rotert about the possibility of using the system when the city knows a large snow event is coming, to help remind people to clear the streets to ease with snow removal efforts.

Yesterday was just a great example, Rotert said of Wednesdays use of Code Red. Snow had already fallen, with additional snow forecasted, and the street department had plans to get out at 4 a.m. the next day to begin snowplowing.

Beau Riopel, streets superintendent, said that the alert seemed to make a difference: We did get responses from people that they appreciated the heads-up.

Rotert added that the police department has been heavily enforcing snow removal parking policies; vehicles parked on priority routes during snow removal will be ticketed a $15 fine and theyre seeing fewer vehicles parked on the road during snow events because of the enforcement. He said that the department isnt trying to be punitive, but rather, to gain compliance to clear the streets of parked vehicles to assist the plow operators to be able to do their jobs quickly and efficiently.

Riopel explained that the city snowplows are 12-feet wide. Having vehicles parked on streets narrows the space available to the plow, which can create safety issues when trying to maneuver around those hazards on the roadway. Parked vehicles also make it impossible to get the snow completely off the street the ways the plows need to get gutters cleared off for future snowmelt, Riopel said.

We do the best we can with it, but a lot of the times you cant do a good, quality job because you cant get them (vehicles) all the way off (the street) and get it cleaned out, Riopel said.

When the Code Red system was implemented, much of Spearfishs city-defined database was automatically imported, so landlines that were in existence were likely automatically added to the system and will receive phone calls with an automatic message. People can also sign up through cityofspearfish.com, by clicking on the Code Red button and filling out the registration, should they wish to add additional numbers to receive alerts: for example, college students renting residences can add their cell phone numbers and locations to receive alerts, or landlords who may own a property but not live at that address who want to know about location-specific alerts about the area. Rotert added that there is an app for smartphones that allows location services to activate for wherever one happens to be; for example, if he has the app on when he is traveling through another state that utilizes the alert system, he could receive any location-specific notifications, even though he does not live in or have an address in that area.

Rotert said that the city may continue to use Code Red for some general notifications but not to the point where it loses its effectiveness, since the main priority for its use is the emergency notifications.