Up to 30% of Kane County not protected by "Code Red" calls

At least 150,000 Kane County residents would miss a phone call that might save their lives in an emergency because they only have cell phones or an unlisted number.

Now Kane County officials are hoping to coax those residents into voluntarily supplying their contact information to the county so a recently-instituted emergency contact system will be more effective.

The county spent about $25,000 to implement a phone system called "Code Red" last year. The system works as a reverse 911 phone line. In an emergency, the county can call as many as 60,000 phones in an hour to inform residents about what's happening and what actions to take. Code Red is primarily used for evacuation notices, severe weather warnings, Amber Alerts, boil water notices, terrorism threats and flooding notices.

Emergency officials used the system earlier this month when severe rain, wind and lighting knocked out the electricity for a large portion of Sugar Grove. Code Red can be tailored to call specific blocks of homes if need be. In Sugar Grove, the county used the phones to notify about 900 people about the storm and the opening of a public shelter at the village's new fire station for those needing a place to go.

On Tuesday, county officials said more and more people are abandoning land-based telephones and using only cell phones at home. Those who take that route would not receive an emergency call from the county unless they voluntarily add their phone number to the county's private database. Health department officials also urge care givers who live outside the county to add their phone numbers to the system so they can be notified if their patient or loved one is in harm's way.

People with unlisted numbers, cell phones or voice over Internet protocol lines can add their number by visiting the county's Web site and clicking on the Code Red link, or by calling: (630) 232-5985.