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Emergency Notification Systems - Profiles
This section of our technical library presents articles written about Emergency Alert Systems and Disaster Recovery definitions, terms and related information.
The 911Broadcast emergency notification and alert service can deliver a large number of phone calls using a network of phone systems employing digital phone lines simultaneously. Should a disaster such as a snow storm, wild fire or flood hit your area, 911Broadcast systems can alert your community quickly providing specific instructions if an evacuation is required.
This service is available using our emergency broadcasting systems. If a dangerous chemical spill occurs in your community, you can target specific areas to call. If a severe snow storm hits your area, your community can be notified of school closings or event cancellations.
The following article relats to Emergency Broadcast Systems, specifically the Emergency Broadcast System at Hernando County.
Emergency Broadcast System at Hernando County
Emergency Management Office, Hernando County
In November, 2000 Hernando County became a little bit safer. Thanks to the installation of the new $50,000 Emergency Broadcast and Notification System that was purchased from and installed by the Dialogic Communications Corporation (now Intel Dialogic).
The computer based emergency notification system will be used by the following organizations:
- Emergency Management
- Fire-Rescue
- Law Enforcement
- Department of Public Works
- Utilities
- Hernando County School Board
This system will be used to notify residents and businesses anytime a critical situation exists. Situations such as the following will be subject to this alert messaging:
- impending severe weather information
- hurricane evacuation orders
- hazardous materials spill evacuations
- wildfires threatening homes
- criminal activity
- missing children
- street closures
- water outages
This system will also be used to notify parents of students who may have to be evacuated or taken to another location for their safety.
"The Communicator" contains a listing of all published phone numbers in Hernando County. If you have an unlisted phone number you can request that your number be added by downloading the form at the bottom of this page and sending it to Emergency Management. The system also has a mapping portion with all addresses in the county. This allows the operator to pre-select an area on the map that he wishes to notify by using a mouse and telling the system to "start notification" of that area.
The Emergency Broadcast and Notification System can make approximately 2,880 calls per hour based on a 30 second message. Residents can identify calls from this system with a phrase such as "This is the Hernando County Emergency Notification System with an important message". The caller ID will display Hernando County Emergency. The system is able to track which phone numbers it has reached, when someone hangs up, when an answering machine answers and how many attempts were made. If the system is hung up on, normally it will retry that number 3 times. If the system detects an answering machine, it will leave the same message that would be transmitted if you had been talking "live".
For more information on the Hernando County Emergency Notification System, please call the Emergency Management Office at 754-4083.
Criminal Alerts - Emergency Dialer For Crime Warnings
If a criminal should threaten your community, our telephone warning system can notify your neighborhoods immediately. With our emergency notification phone service, you can broadcast warning messages to thousands of households in your community warning of a criminal activity that requires resident notification.
Messages can be simultaneously delivered in just minutes using our network of phone systems and services. Pre-recorded warning messages can be played giving households information regarding a criminal alert and whether residents need to remain at home or evacuate a particular neighborhood. You can send a broadcast warning to specific neighborhoods or communities in the event of this type of criminal activity and provide priority delivery of these messages to those nearest crime scene. Multiple messages can be delivered to different members of the community based upon proximity to the area of the crime. Calls can be directed to operators that are standing by to handle special individual emergencies.
Messages can also be broadcast seeking volunteers or special assistance from emergency personnel.
Remote communities have used this technology to warn residents when a criminal is operating in their community. A more immediate use is when there has been an abduction of an individual, notifying the immediate neighborhood to be on the lookout for the criminal and the victim.
Other applications include warning residents when the danger of a crime is higher based on criminal intelligence. Travel and activity restrictions can likewise be broadcast using this service.
Messages warning of crimes sent to households in this fashion can be simple warnings with specific or general instructions. If the community needs feedback from the call, an interactive response can be programmed into the message allowing the person to either acknowledge the call or to contact someone. Messages can vary based upon proximity to the event, with different degrees of broadcast warning and instructions.
Contact DSC Today for a FREE analysis and quote and to learn more about our forest fire alert and emergency notification services.
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