SANGER — The city’s new emergency calling system, known as Code Red, has proved successful since it was quietly launched about a month ago, City Manager Mike Brice said.

The system alerted one neighborhood to watch out for an elderly man, who was known to have memory problems and was reported missing from his home. Brice said it was difficult to say whether Code Red was directly responsible for a successful outcome, but the man was located soon after the alert was issued.

The city also has used the system to notify specific neighborhoods of street closings.

But the city has not yet issued any citywide alerts with Code Red, even during last week’s storms.

Because Code Red taps into the 911 system database, only in reverse, emergency managers prefer not to issue weather and disaster alerts with it.

Instead, Brice encouraged residents to sign up for “Thunder Call” alerts. This weather warning system operates similar to Code Red, but rather than calling everyone, it calls only residents who sign up for the service through the city Web site.

When the Argyle Volunteer Fire District launched the Code Red system with a test call in February, Fire Chief Mac Hohenberger told residents they must sign up separately for Thunder Call. Since then, about 1,800 residents have done so.

So far, the weather warning system has sent out pinpointed alerts very quickly.

“My phone was ringing before my weather radio went off,” Hohenberger said.

When a tornado warning was issued last week for Copper Canyon, phones rang in Lantana and points west.

“No one west of FM1830 got a call,” Hohenberger said.

Both Brice and Hohenberger recommended that people consider the pros and cons before signing up. The warning system may work well for people who are on the road a lot and have a cellphone with them.

But others may want to think twice.

“Your cellphone is going to ring if the warning comes at 2 a.m.,” Brice said.

 PEGGY HEINKEL-WOLFE can be reached at 940-566-6881. Her e-mail address is pheinkel-wolfe@dentonrc.com.