Alert Software Calls Residents, Notifies First Responders during Hurricanes, Missing Person and other Emergency Situations
St. Petersburg, Florida --[EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION NEWS]-- September 7 , 2005 - The St. Petersburg Police Department has a new ally to help strengthen the city’s emergency response capabilities. Officials today announced they have implemented a powerful alert system that automatically calls residents directly at home during critical situations.
Developed by Tennessee-based DCC (Dialogic Communications Corporation), the Internet-driven emergency notification system will allow the department to pinpoint geographic areas-at-risk during such emergencies as severe weather, missing persons or terrorist threats, and immediately calls residents with information or instruction. The software also will be used to notify and mobilize first responders, including police, fire and EMS.
The new emergency notification system is made up of two solutions from DCC – Communicator! NXT and GeoCast Web. Communicator! NXT serves as the calling engine, rapidly sending voice and text messages to all types of communications devices, including phone, email, pager and fax. The software is powered by Microsoft®.NET™ and SQL technologies and can be accessed by officials from any location via the Microsoft® Internet Explorer web browser. GeoCast Web works in tandem with Communicator! NXT by allowing users to select targeted notification areas on digital, street-level maps - ranging from a single city block to an entire county.
When the software is activated, residents will receive a phone message that could contain such important information as hurricane evacuation routes, shelter locations or missing person alerts.
Aside from communicating with local residents, the St. Petersburg Police Department will also use the technology to mobilize first responders in times of crisis. The software will automatically deliver detailed information or instructions regarding the situation-at-hand, and intelligently fill positions until all required teams are assembled.
St. Petersburg Police Department obtains New Emergency Notification System
