Self-Registration For RNS Increases Warning Communication Methods

With a growing number cellphone users and a dwindling number of landline phones in homes, self-registering for the Capital Area Council of Governments’ (CAPCOG) Regional Notification System (RNS) is key to protecting you and your family during disaster events. Registering phone numbers and email addresses at wireless.capcog.org lets residents in CAPCOG’s 10-county region receive emergency communications when they are the most valuable to them —as an emergency strikes.

“RNS is a fast and effective tool emergency coordinators and other emergency personnel can use to warn residents about impending crisis situations that could affect their health, safety and wellbeing,” said Ed Schafer, CAPCOG Homeland Security Division director. “Receiving such warnings allows residents to respond accordingly to an emergency and can prevent a loss of property or a loss of life.”

RNS allows local governments participating in the program to inform residents about emergencies though several methods — “reverse dialing” phone calls, email notifications and text messages. Municipalities and counties can use the system to inform residents about events such as floods, hazardous materials spills, and major law enforcement incidents affecting the general public.

CAPCOG’s RNS provider, CodeRED, lets emergency personnel target notification groups by selecting portions of a map, an entire city street, an entire jurisdiction or pre-determined groups. This creates a more sufficient system that enables a government to communicate a message directly to an affected area.

Perks of self-registering cellphones and emails include listing contact information for multiple addresses by registering a number more than once and choosing a preferred method of receiving notifications. If a resident is self-registered, governments also can notify residents of non-emergency information about events affecting them such a road closure due to a parade or an alternate trash day because of a holiday.

All landline phones in CAPCOG’s 9-1-1 database are registered to receive phone calls from the RNS for emergency situations only, but the system only can call those landline phones associated with a 9-1-1 address. It cannot text or email residents using the 9-1-1 database information.

Notifications from CAPCOG’s RNS only work in Bastrop, Blanco, Burnet, Caldwell, Fayette, Hays, Lee, Llano, Travis and Williamson counties.
Residents can join the nearly 30,000 others who have already self-registered with CAPCOG.

The Capital Area Council of Governments, governed by elected officials from the 10-county region it serves, has worked for more than 45 years as an advocate, planner and coordinator on important regional issues. Programs and services related to public safety and emergency response, environmental planning, economic and community development and the elderly are delivered at a regional level to leverage funding, maximize cooperation and eliminate duplication. CAPCOG serves Bastrop, Blanco, Burnet, Caldwell, Fayette, Hays, Lee, Llano, Travis and Williamson counties.