Page 6 - August 2020 - The Castle Pines Connection

6 B CastlePinesConnection.com y Carin Kirkegaard people didn’t know that the re was close to homes and that we were requesting them to evacuate,” stated DCSO Public Information O cer Cocha Heyden. “Even though re teams did a phenomenal job stamping out the re, it could have easily gotten away from them and into the neighborhoods,” she stated. The CodeRED system not only noti es citizens of evacuations for wild res, it also noti es when there is police activity in an area, bioterrorism alerts, missing child reports and other emergencies. Essentially anytime there is an urgent public safety message o cials will send a message to alert citizens of emergency details, instructions or precautions that will aid in citizens making well-informed decisions to remain safe. Residents and businesses are encouraged to sign up to receive CodeRED noti cations. Visit www.douglascountycodered.com and follow the online instructions, or text DRCC to 99411 to receive a direct link to the enrollment form on a mobile device. Users will create a managed account that allows access to modify noti cation settings and contact information, as well as to customize the types of noti cations received and to add additional addresses to monitor. Library loaner program By Patte Smith Douglas County Libraries (DCL) keep expanding and improving on community service o erings. Did you know you can borrow a microscope or a Nintendo system for the kids? You can strap on a virtual reality headset for a thrilling experience or learn to strum a ukulele. Want to be a seamstress – borrow a sewing machine? Budding engineers can construct an easy-to-build circuit board that snaps together with magnets. Artists can scribble and play using a Colorburst eWriter. Borrow a GoPro video camera for vacation. Homeowners take note; there are water leak and radon detectors for loan and an energy analyzing device called Kill A Watt, that shows how much energy an appliance uses. Who knew? Two other very worthwhile considerations include kids’ anxiety kits and memory care kits designed for caregivers. They provide stimulating activities, including a card game, a puzzle, books, audiobooks and DVDs for individuals experiencing cognitive di culties. DCL strives to serve the community by expanding with the latest digital media, library and kids’ events, informative classes, book clubs (even though temporarily suspended) – the list goes on. To delve into more programs that are o ered at DCL, visit www.dcl.org. Check out all the drop-down menus to get a feel for what is o ered. Be sure to click on the tab Library Info and then Library Perks. Explore and enjoy. Life can change at a moment’s notice, as residents impacted by the recent Chatridge 2 Fire discovered when local emergency response teams knocked on doors and gave the order that they had 10 minutes to evacuate their homes. CodeRED is a high-speed telephone emergency noti cation system that allows public safety personnel to send messages directly to residents – whether they are home or away – during an emergency. It uses geotracking to target speci c areas with prerecorded phone messages, emails or texts. Registering for CodeRED alerts from the Douglas County Sheri ’s O ce (DCSO) and all other Douglas County agencies allows mass noti cations to areas where emergencies are occurring. According to the DCSO, a noti cation that detailed re information as well as the evacuation notice went out to more than 700 of the 964 homes that were threatened by the re. “This means that quite a few August 2020