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Emergency Alert Systems
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.
Scientists look for better storm warning systems, stronger housing
The following is an extract from the article entitled "Scientists look for better storm warning systems, stronger housing" from CNN.com.
Correspondents David George and Ann Kellan contributed to this report.
"As tornado season continues its deadly annual pilgrimage through the nation's heartland, scientists are trying to lessen the storms' toll by giving people more time to prepare and better protection for when twisters do hit.
One improvement in the warning category is the implementation of the Emergency Alert System.
With the EAS, which takes the place of the old Emergency Broadcast System, anyone with a decoder can pick up signals transmitted by TV and radio stations. When an alert is sent out, a digital tone is decoded and a forecast is then automatically scrawled across television screens or breaks into radio programming.
"This EAS unit does not need any human being at the radio station," said meteorologist Kirk Melhuish of radio station WSB in Atlanta. "If the radio station is on the air, it will automatically take control of our airwaves and broadcast -- automatically, immediately -- that tornado warning."
Some areas are looking at a system that is even more fail- proof: a kind of reverse 911 system that would call telephone numbers in specific areas to warn the residents of approaching storms. The drawback is that, with limited phone lines, there would not be enough time to alert an area with a large population.
Along with providing more advanced warning, scientists are also working on providing greater safety for people when storms do hit.
In South Carolina, researchers at Clemson University have experimented with a variety of ways to reinforce wall panels to make homes more storm-resistant.
They found that panels reinforced with a 1-inch-thick piece of plywood withstood the simulated force of a pine tree 6 inches in diameter significantly better than unreinforced panels.
When researchers added a thin layer of metal as reinforcement, the result was dramatically better."
To view the entire article, please visit CNN.com.
Online Emergency Management Software
Using our online emergency notification service, emergency administrators can initiate phone broadcasts to a community. This service is available from our call center or from a network of dialers that you manage. Database Systems Corp. (DSC) provides one of the most comprehensive phone solutions and services in the emergency broadcast world today.
Whether you purchase your own emergency phone dialer or utilize our emergency dialer service, you can rely on us to deliver your emergency alert messages.
When an emergency situation arises in your community, our phone systems and service can contact your residents quickly and efficiently.
When a disaster such as a flood or hurricane threaten your residents, we can provide emergency alerts and evacuation instructions immediately.
Plus our emergency dialers can connect calls to members of your emergency response team who are working from home or from remote locations.
DSC provides a complete range of emergency phone dialers that play messages over a few analog lines or 1000s of digital phone lines using our emergency dialer network.
What Is Automatic Emergency Phone Dialing?
The DSC automatic emergency dialers call numbers from a computer managed phone list. If the phone system detects a live person or an answering machine, it plays a recorded message providing details regarding the emergency.
If a busy signal or no answer is detected, the phone system can be configured to make multiple attempts to contact this household.
Messages delivered to residents can provide an option for the call recipient to speak with a member of your emergency team by simply pressing a button on the phone keypad.
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