Emergency Preparedness

Would you and your family be prepared in the event of an emergency? Three simple and effective steps can help you make sure the answer is YES.

1. Build an emergency supply kit. 

2. Make a family emergency communication plan. 

3. Be informed about the types of emergencies and the appropriate response.

Washington Township urges residents to familiarize themselves with these steps through the Resolve to be Ready Campaign. This national public service campaign is designed to help people prepare for and respond to emergencies, such as power outages, icy roads, and natural disasters. The Ready.gov website provides detailed instructions and checklists to make sure home and business kits are complete.

In the event of an emergency, Washington Township will use these information outlets, to the extent they are available, to provide emergency updates:

• CodeRED emergency phone/text notification

• Centerville High School radio station WCWT 107.3 FM (see more information below)

• Washington Township Facebook page

• Washington Township website

Where to Tune Your Radio in an Emergency
In the event of an emergency, residents of Centerville-Washington Township can stay informed by turning their dial to the Centerville High School radio station, WCWT 107.3 FM. This educational radio station has operated from CHS for many years and provides information about early school closures, weather, and local emergencies. In the past, 1290 WHIO-AM also has provided emergency updates. The station simulcasts at 95.7 FM.

Washington Township uses CodeRED, an emergency alert system that relays information to residents by phone call and text. The high-speed messaging system can deliver customized emergency notification and instructions at a rate of 60,000 calls per hour.

How to Register for CodeRED
Residential landline telephones automatically receive CodeRED messages. To register your mobile device for CodeRED alerts, enroll on the Township's registration website or text WASHINGTONTWP to 24639 to receive a direct link to the enrollment form. Click here to view step-by-step registration instructions.

Residents should register for CodeRED if they:

• Want their cell phone called or texted during an emergency

• Want to provide a work phone as a backup to their home phone

• Want to provide a caregiver backup number

• Recently moved and kept their old phone number

• Have changed their phone number in the past six months

• Use a TDD (Telecommunications Device for the Deaf) or TTY (Teletypewriter/Text Telephone)

How to Register a Business
Washington Township businesses are not automatically enrolled in CodeRed. Please register your business phone number online if you wish to receive emergency notifications at your place of business.

Outdoor warning sirens are activated by the Montgomery County Regional Dispatch Center for:

• Tornado warnings where part of the Washington Township boundary is within or near the National Weather Service's polygon-based area of impact;

• Notification by a trained weather spotter through their reporting network; or

• By a public safety professional who witnesses the tornado and requests activation

When the sirens are activated, you should seek shelter in an indoor room or basement and tune to your local radio or TV channel for more information.

Siren Testing
The Washington Township Fire Department conducts monthly checks of the 12 outdoor warning sirens located throughout Centerville-Washington Township. If you live near a siren, you can help make sure it's working properly by listening for the sound during the monthly and contacting Fire Headquarters with test results.

Siren testing takes place at noon on the first Monday of every month and during the statewide tornado drill each year in March.

Siren Map
View the Township's outdoor warning siren map to see if a siren is located near your home.

Questions
Any concerns related to outdoor warning sirens should be directed to Fire Headquarters at 937-433-3083.

Tornadoes can develop quickly and with little warning, making preparation essential.

Know the difference between a Tornado Watch, when conditions are favorable, and a Tornado Warning, when a tornado has been sighted or detected and you must take cover immediately.

If you are under a tornado or severe weather watch or warning:

• Go to NOAA Weather Radio and your local news or official social media accounts for updated emergency information. Follow the instructions of state and local officials.

• Go to a safe shelter immediately, such as a safe room, basement, storm cellar, or small interior room on the lowest level of a sturdy building.

• Stay away from windows, doors, and outside walls.

• Do not go under an overpass or bridge. You’re safer in a low, flat location.

• Watch out for flying debris that can cause injury or death.

• Use your arms to protect your head and neck.

• If you can’t stay at home, make plans to go to a public shelter.

• Montgomery County Emergency Management

• Montgomery County Sheriff's Office

• Ohio Emergency Management Agency

• National Weather Service - Wilmington, Ohio