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After Code Red data breach, Grand County evaluates new emergency-alert vendors and seeks direct IPAWS access
Summary
Sheriff's Office and county IT briefed commissioners on a Code Red data breach that disrupted the county's alerting system and IPAWS access. County staff scheduled demos with Motorola Rave and Everbridge and plan to present a vendor contract to the board; estimated annual costs are about $8,000.
Grand County officials told the Board of County Commissioners that a security breach at the county's Code Red alert vendor caused a temporary shutdown of the county's primary public-alert system and suspended the county's direct access to IPAWS (the integrated public alert and warning system).
Sheriff Wayne Shafer said the county’s Code Red subscription went offline after what staff described as a data-security incident. Thomas Johnson, the county’s chief information security officer, said preliminary indications suggest the breach exposed user records (names, email addresses, phone numbers and possibly stored passwords), and staff advised residents who reuse passwords to update credentials on other services.
County staff reported they have completed a demo of Motorola Rave and planned an Everbridge demonstration the same day. Sheriff Shafer said the county may present a contract to the commissioners as soon as the next board meeting and estimated annual costs for a Motorola solution at roughly $8,000 (Code Red previously cost the county under $1,000 annually). He emphasized the priority is regaining direct control of IPAWS and the county’s ability to quickly create and send geographically targeted alerts.
The board and staff discussed community re-enrollment, data-curation and how to handle county-managed lists that had been uploaded to Code Red. Staff said the state and FEMA still provide IPAWS access if needed, but losing a county-controlled system complicates rapid local alerting. Commissioners and staff agreed to move quickly to secure a vendor and to plan a public outreach effort to rebuild the local alert database.
Why it matters: Emergency-alert systems are a central tool for evacuation and life-safety messaging; regaining direct access to IPAWS and ensuring data security are priorities for county emergency operations.
What’s next: Staff will continue vendor evaluations, resolve contractual and attorney-office issues related to Code Red termination, and return to the board with a recommended vendor contract.
