In a recent revelation, the City of Thornton Fire Department shared via social media that their community, along with several others nationwide, is currently grappling with a CodeRED outage. According to the City of Thornton Fire Department, which explicitly clarifies the extent of the disruption, "The City of Thornton, like many communities nationwide, is experiencing a CodeRED outage. This does NOT impact 9-1-1, our emergency response operations, or our other alerting tools."
As a safeguard and to maintain a flow of critical updates, Thornton authorities advised residents to follow a series of alternative protocols. In a bid to keep the public adequately informed, they're directing people to their official Facebook, Nextdoor, and Instagram pages, where updates will continue to be disseminated. Residents were encouraged to activate notifications on an unspecified platform, referenced only as “X”, for real-time alerts. Running parallel to the digital efforts, door-to-door communication is also enlisted, an old-school tactic to reach the population, even in the shadows of high-tech platforms going dark.
The authorities are also leveraging other, more robust systems that remain online. A key part of their communication strategy includes FEMA's Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS), which serves as a national system for local alerts. To further the spread of urgent news, local media outlets remain a critical component in the information dissemination chain. The statement posted on Facebook by the City of Thornton Fire Department detailed, "During emergencies, we also have additional ways to reach the public, including FEMA’s Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS), local news outlets, and door-to-door communication when needed."
The City of Thornton has expressed gratitude for the community's understanding while it navigates the technical difficulties. They reassured residents, stating, "Even with the CodeRED outage, you will still be notified in an emergency," as per the City of Thornton Fire Department.
