Southern California Cities and School Districts Use NTI Group's Mass Notification Services to Keep Residents, Students and Parents Informed

As LA, Riverside, San Diego Counties and Cities Residents Evacuate, Cities and Schools Are Contacting Residents Regarding School Closures, Active Fire and Smoke Warnings, Evacuations and Volunteer Programs

SHERMAN OAKS, CA --[EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION NEWS]-- October 25, 2007 – As horrific fires in Los Angeles and San Diego are forcing residents to evacuate their homes, officials sent over two million voice messages and 685,000 text messages within the state of California Monday to communicate important messages and alerts according to a press release issued by The NTI Group, Inc. (NTI) today.

City and school officials, using the Connect services provided by The NTI Group, Inc. (NTI), are able to send messages from any internet connection or just a phone line, in case administrators are evacuated, and reach thousands of recipients through home phones, cell phones, text messages and emails. And as families leave their homes, they are able to continue receiving these important messages through their cell phones, if registered, and stay connected to city and school announcements, even from evacuation locations when cell phone service is available.

According to the NTI Group, Inc. press release, one of every two students enrolled in California’s public schools is currently served by the Connect-ED service, and additionally, NTI is seeing heavy usage by school administrators who are currently sending messages regarding school closures and air quality issues, modifications to class and activity schedules, and to communicate with and mobilize staff.

NTI Group also announced:

• San Diego Unified School District sent close to 400,000 voice messages in six different languages Monday to update parents on school closures quickly and efficiently with a 95 percent success rate;
  
• Poway Unified School District, facing heavy parent and staff evacuations, sent over 280,000 voice messages;
  
• The University of San Diego used its Connect-ED service to keep students and staff up to date, sending voice and text messages to its students and staff as needed throughout the day;
• The city of St. Helena’s fire crews, in Northern California, used the service to call up its Strike Team units to Southern California to aid in fire containment;
  
• The cites of Villa Park and Laguna Woods to send messages to residents regarding unhealthful air quality conditions due to the Santiago fire in Orange County;
• Of all mass notifications messages sent Monday regarding the fires in Southern California, Connect-ED and Connect-CTY represented 68 percent of all voice call and 91 percent of all text and email messages delivered;
  
• In total, throughout the country, NTI sent over three million messages and 750,000 text messages on Monday through the Connect services.
  

Source: Vendor Press Release

Emergency Notification Technology Aids in Evacuation of More Than 500,000 Southern California Residents

REVERSE 911® and DCC Alert San Diego County Residents of Dangerous Wildfires, Mobilize First Responders

Nashville, TN --[EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION NEWS]-- October 24, 2007 - More than 500,000 families have found their way to safety from Southern California’s ferocious wildfires with the help of emergency notification technology. Two PlantCML subsidiaries -- REVERSE 911® and DCC (Dialogic Communications Corporation), have supported the wildfire evacuation and response effort with fast and accurate information.

During this tragic time, public safety agencies and county and city governments throughout Southern California and San Diego County have successfully utilized the company’s patented emergency notification system, REVERSE 911®, as well as Communicator! NXT and GeoCast® Web, to automatically alert thousands of residents and businesses of voluntary and mandatory evacuation orders.

“This is tragic situation, and we are firmly committed to helping communities across Southern California evacuate safely,” said Lorin Bristow, Vice President of PlantCML. ”In critical situations like wildfires, communication can be a lifeline. Our customers tell us emergency notification technology is playing a vital role here. During the coming days and weeks, REVERSE 911® and DCC will do everything possible to continue to assist in the wildfire response and recovery efforts.”

REVERSE 911® and DCC both provide emergency notification technology that automates the calling process, enabling public safety organizations to send voice and text messages by phone, pager, cell and email to thousands of residents in minutes.

In Southern California, residents are currently receiving automated messages containing voluntary and mandatory evacuation orders. Numerous public safety organizations, including law enforcement, fire and emergency management, will continue to use the software to evacuate residents as needed and provide pertinent information during the clean up and recovery efforts.

Aside from communicating with residents, the notification technology of REVERSE 911® and DCC’s is being used to mobilize first responders, EMS professionals and volunteers throughout the region. The software automatically contacts these individuals using all available communications devices, and then intelligently fills positions until the required teams are assembled.

Organizations throughout the U.S. depend daily on emergency notification technology provided by REVERSE 911® and DCC. Whether it’s being used to send a severe weather alert or a missing child report, emergency notification allows the user to quickly and accurately contact a wide audience during a time of need. It also allows them to get the feedback necessary for emergency response and recovery.

Source: Vendor Press Release

Connect-CTY(R) Service Provides Multi-language Message Capabilities to Ensure Emergency Notifications Reach Temple City's Diverse Community

TEMPLE CITY, Calif., Oct. 4 --[Emergency Notification News]-- The NTI Group, Inc. (NTI) announced today that Temple City has selected the Connect-CTY mass communication service. Temple City has implemented the Connect-CTY service to provide city officials the ability to communicate via multiple languages with its diverse community, regarding time-sensitive matters, such as unforeseen events or emergencies.

"The best way to keep residents safe is through communication, and the Connect-CTY service makes it easy to communicate with residents of a diverse community with its multilingual capabilities," said Robin D. Richards, Chairman and CEO of NTI.

The Connect-CTY service allows city officials to send and track personalized voice messages to thousands of residents, businesses, and local officials in just minutes, through a single phone call. Messages can be sent in multiple languages, including English, Spanish, Mandarin and Vietnamese. The service requires no additional hardware; it can be used from any computer with Internet access or telephone, ensuring that officials can send vital messages from wherever they are located. The city also can track homes that were reached with a report on the results of outgoing messages.

City administrators can target messages to an unlimited number of groups -- everything from mobilizing emergency response teams to notifying necessary department heads. Authorized users also can use a map on the Connect-CTY system to contact people associated with specific geographical locations, sending messages only to select neighborhoods when needed.

Temple City will be conducting its first test-call today, to ensure all residents who would like to be included in the system are given a chance to correct their phone numbers. Primary residential and business phones in Temple City will automatically be included in the system. If residents do not receive the call, they should visit the city's Web site at http://www.ci.temple-city.ca.us and click on the "SIGN UP NOW -- SERVICES BY CONNECT-CTY" link to enter their contact information into the secure Connect-CTY database.

Source: Vendor Press Release

New Canaan Adopts Connect-CTY® Service to Improve Emergency Preparedness and Communication

Testing to Ensure Residents are Ready to Receive Important Messages

NEW CANAAN, CT--[EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION NEWS]-- September 24th. The Town of New Canaan announced it has arranged with the mass communication provider Connect-CTY for a service that provides town officials the ability to communicate with all residents regarding time-sensitive matters, such as emergencies and important planned and unforeseen events.

This important tool allows town officials to send and track personalized voice messages to thousands of residents, businesses, and local officials in just minutes. The service requires no additional hardware; it can be used from any computer with Internet access or telephone, ensuring that officials can send vital messages from wherever they are located. Messages can be sent by email, text-messaging-to-cell-phones as well as by voice to the recipient’s primary phone. The town also can track homes that were reached with a report on the results of outgoing messages. The system is provided by the company that provides a similar alert notification service for the New Canaan School District.

“Quick, accurate communication in an emergency situation has an impact on safety,” said James Cole, Emergency Management Director and Chair of the New Canaan Police Commission. “Having a fully-featured system that allows us to send messages to the community through several modes of contact will enhance our likelihood of reaching all residents, whether they are at home, work or out of town.” “With Connect-CTY, we have the capacity to immediately inform the entire community, or just affected neighborhoods, regarding time-sensitive matters of public interest, such as flooding, a gas leak or missing person,” Cole said.

Town administrators can target messages to an unlimited number of groups – everything from mobilizing emergency response teams to notifying necessary department heads. Authorized users also can use a map on the Connect-CTY system to contact specific geographical locations, sending messages only to select neighborhoods when needed.

Primary residential and business phones in New Canaan will automatically be included in the system. However, residents can opt-in to provide their complete information (up to three phone numbers and two e-mail addresses for each registered user) by visiting the New Canaan Web site (www.newcanaan.info) and clicking on the indicated link to enter their information into the secure database. Families can make each member a registered user. Those without Internet access can have their information added into the system by calling the Emergency Operations Center at (203) 594-4100 and leaving a recorded message. Residents with call blocking services can ensure they can receive the town’s time-sensitive calls by adding (203) 594-3000 to their approved number list.

“The best way to keep residents safe is through communication, and this service makes it easy,” reported Mr. Cole. “With the Connect-CTY service, administrators have a powerful tool for mass communication without having to purchase new computers, software and telephone lines.”

New Canaan will be conducting its first test-call on Sept. 28, in order to ensure all residents who would like to be included in the system are given a chance to correct their phone numbers. If residents do not receive the call, they should visit the town’s Web site at www.newcanaan.info and click on the indicated link to enter their contact information into the Connect-CTY database.

Residents without Internet access can have their information added into the database by calling (203) 594-4100 and leaving a recorded message.

Jim Cole, town director of emergency preparedness and chairman of the Police Commission was quoted in The Norwalk Advocate on October 6, 2007 as saying "New Canaan contracted with NTI for one year at a cost of $17,500."

Source: Town of New Canaan Press Release

San Diego City Mayor Unveils Reverse 911® Broadcast System

$180,000 Reverse 911® system has the capacity to make two 30-second voice mail broadcasts a minute, giving the City the ability to broadcast to a total of 11,520 devices in an hour.

San Diego, CA - [EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION NEWS]-- Sept 6, 2007 - As part of National Preparedness Month and to further highlight the City’s increased ability to respond to emergencies, Mayor Jerry Sanders today unveiled the City’s new Reverse 911® emergency notification call system. The system can optionally deliver emergency messages to as many as 240,000 households and businesses in an hour.

Reverse 911®, recently acquired by PlantCML, Inc. from Sigma LLC, is web-based, community-alerting system is designed to make mass telephone calls to the public in a timely manner during emergencies or disasters. The system uses a combination of databases and GIS mapping technologies to quickly target and effectively disseminate emergency notification calls to a precise geographic area.

The City of San Diego purchased Reverse 911® as another tool to rapidly broadcast emergency notifications to the public in the event of an emergency. The system hardware, software and three-year contract cost $180,000. The system was paid for with Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) Homeland Security grant funds. Additional per event pricing for the Mass Call® feature during large emergencies wasn't specified.

When activated, the Reverse 911® system uses the 911 telephone database to initiate a voice mail broadcasted message via landline telephones to San Diego residents and businesses in the affected areas. A taped message delivers instructions on how to proceed during the ongoing emergency. Individuals using non-landline cellular and VoIP phones can also register their numbers online to receive the emergency calls.

When would be Reverse 911® be activated?
Reverse 911® would only be activated for the following emergency situations:

• Evacuation notices
• Imminent or perceived threat to health, life or property within the City of San Diego
• Disaster notifications
• Public safety tests to verify data accuracy and system operability

How many calls can be made?

• The Reverse 911® system offers a variety of features designed to meet small, medium, and large-scale—including citywide—notification needs.
  
• For large-scale disasters and emergencies, the City has the ability to activate the system’s Mass Call® feature. This feature provides the ability to use a remotely located telecommunications hub with the capacity to make up to 240,000 30-second community emergency calls per hour.
• During small- and medium-scale emergencies, the Reverse 911® system has the capacity to initiate two 30-second voice-mail broadcasts a minute, giving the City the ability to broadcast to a total of 11,520 telephony devices in an hour.
• If more than the 11,520 voice-mail broadcasts are required in an hour, the City of San Diego can request assistance from the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department via mutual aid. The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department utilizes a similar Reverse 911® system which includes landlines within the city and can effectively double the broadcasts per hour to 23,040. When more than 23,040 calls need to be made in a given hour, the Mass Call® feature can be activated.

What is the activation process?

• An incident occurs and is reported.
• Reported incidents are routed to the San Diego Police Department Watch Commander.
• The Watch Commander initiates the relay of information through a prescribed chain of command.
• The information ultimately flows to the Deputy Chief Operating Officer for Public Safety and Homeland Security (DCOO).
• The DCOO notifies and consults with the Mayor, Chief Operating Officer, and Communications Director (Executive Team).
• Executive Team makes the decision to issue or not issue the Reverse 911® call.
• A series of final organizational steps are followed until the message is ultimately launched by the San Diego Police Department Communications Division.

How are the defined areas chosen?

• Notification ares are defined by subject matter experts (Fire, Police, Water, etc.)
• The number of required calls is calculated by the system based on the defined area.
• The City Executive Team decides on the appropriate call areas and approves the capacity deployment.

Who broadcasts the Reverse 911® messages to the public?

The City of San Diego Police Department is the entity that broadcasts the actual Reverse 911® emergency notifications to the public on behalf of the City of San Diego. Although cellular phone numbers and VoIP numbers are not currently in the system database (because it only contains landline telephone numbers), these numbers can be added to the system. To receive Reverse 911® on a cellular telephone or VoIP, an individual needs to complete the Reverse 911® Cellular/VoIP Addition Authorization Form on the City of San Diego Office of Homeland Security webpage at http://www.sandiego.gov/ohs. Persons using a TTY/TDD phone system will also receive Reverse 911® notifications.

Source: San Diego City Press Release

St. Lucie County's New Emergency Notification System Becomes Operational

Fort Pierce, FL --[EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION NEWS]-- Sept 4, 2007 - St. Lucie County Public Safety, in collaboration with the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office, St. Lucie County Fire District, Fort Pierce and Port St. Lucie Police Departments, has taken a significant step in upgrading the ability to communicate critical emergency information to its residents. St. Lucie County Emergency Notification System (SLCENS), an automated telephone message delivery system, was activated on Sept. 1 and is now operational.

SLCENS can quickly deliver a voice message to telephones throughout St. Lucie County. The system will be activated and calls made to the affected community during emergencies in which there is a threat to life or property. Examples of such emergencies include critical missing person reports, natural disasters, hazardous materials or wildfire evacuation orders, and alerts of other eminent dangers.

Using a database that contains all of the telephone numbers in St. Lucie County and an integrated mapping program, SLCENS is able to isolate any specific geographic area and display the exact list of residential and business telephone numbers within it. For example, authorized personnel could identify all numbers within a half-mile area of a specific address within the county. St. Lucie County Public Safety, Sheriff's Office, Fire District, Fort Pierce or Port St. Lucie emergency response personnel are then able to create and send information or instructive messages to those telephones. SLCENS recalls numbers that are busy and leaves a message on phones that have a voice mail or answering machines.

SLCENS is able to reach as many telephones as the AT&T system can accommodate, possibly delivering as many as 30,000 messages in less than 10 minutes. All outgoing messages are in English, call recipients will be given the option to select Spanish if desired. FirstCall can deliver messages in more than 140 different languages. FirstCall of Baton Rouge, La., owns and operates the high-speed notification network on which SCLENS operates. FirstCall maintains 1,728 dedicated phone lines via a diverse entry fiber-optic network for outbound message delivery and is staffed 24 hours a day, 365 days a year by certified emergency notification personnel.

St. Lucie County residents with unlisted numbers can register for participation in the emergency telephone notification process. The privacy of these telephone numbers is protected under the normal non-disclosure agreement that FirstCall has with its clients. FirstCall Network also geo-codes cellular or wireless telephone numbers provided by residents or from the registration process.

Registration for the St. Lucie County Emergency Notification System can be done in three ways:

1. 1. On line at www.firstcall.net and select Unlisted Registration.
   
2. E-mail unlisted@firstcall.net , list your name, phone number, street address, city, state and zip code.
   
3. Telephone by calling 1-866-484-3264. This process is very user friendly. Once the submitted number has been entered into the system, the person registering will then receive a message via the submitted number as a call back from the system confirming their registration.

Source: St. Lucie County Board of County Commissioners

City of Winter Park and Rollins College Announce Emergency Notification Partnership

Winterpark, FL --[EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION NEWS]-- Sept. 4, 2007

The City of Winter Park and Rollins College held a press conference on Friday, August 31, to announce that they have partnered on a community emergency notification network. Dubbed "Outreach," the system will provide high-speed notification through multiple communication infrastructures including cell phones and loud speakers.

The City will own and operate the emergency alert system. The College is providing the City with a three-year, interest-free loan to make the system a reality. Rollins is also purchasing an additional siren/speaker which will be placed on campus to enhance communication. Authorized College personnel will be able to request that College-specific messages be broadcast over this speaker to the campus community.

"The City of Winter Park realizes the importance of communication, especially in a crisis situation and has brought emergency notification to a higher level. That is why we are implementing Outreach, the city's new comprehensive system to notify city residents during various emergency situations,” said Winter Park Mayor David C. Strong. “Rollins College is a great neighbor and partner within our city limits. It is integral to partner with the College as we put safety measures in place."

Winter Park Fire Chief Jim White described Outreach as “one of the most interactive and robust community-wide emergency alerting networks in the country."

Here are some features of the new system:

• The Outreach network will combine the convenience of electronic devices that many of us turn to for information with the proven alerting benefit of outdoor voice and siren devices.

• Using a network first established by the Federal government to communicate with troops in the field, Outreach will inform and interact with citizens in the event of a community emergency.

• The Outreach network will afford emergency management personnel and other leaders in Winter Park the ability to not only alert residents, but also interact with citizens in need.

• Outreach can alert citizens through landline and cell phones, e-mail and text messaging, FM radio and pagers. For those who may not be close to or have access to these devices, communications will occur via outdoor warning sirens.

• As a part of Outreach, these outdoor warning sirens will include the ability to announce voice messages when large groups of people need to be directed to seek shelter or evacuate a venue.

"Tornadoes passing through Central Florida in February of this year and the Virginia Tech tragedy have underscored the importance of having in place a system that can quickly reach the members of our shared communities," said Rollins President Lewis Duncan.

Federal Signal and EMTEL will provide the infrastructure and technology to make Outreach possible. It is expected that portions of the system, including text messaging capabilities, will be operational by the end of October. Outreach is slated for complete functionality by the end of the year.

Source: Rollins College

Baton Rouge Mayor Announces New Emergency Notification System

Outreach Expanded to include Cell Phones and Email

Baton Rouge, LA --[EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION NEWS]-- August 16, 2007 - With the busiest period of hurricane season approaching, Mayor Melvin L. “Kip” Holden today announced a new system of emergency response outreach to notify the citizens of East Baton Rouge Parish by residential, business or cell phone as well as email, text message or devices for the hearing and speech impaired.

“New technology brings new ways to assure that every citizen is notified when an emergency occurs,” Mayor Holden said. “No longer is the home telephone the most effective way to reach a highly mobile society, so it’s important that we keep up with the changing needs of our community.”

East Baton Rouge Parish has selected Connect-CTY to provide a system that will allow parish officials to notify citizens through voice and text messages and to allow residents to sign up unlisted numbers for emergency contact through the city-parish website, BRgov.com.

“We are the first city in Louisiana to adopt the Connect-CTY service,” Holden said, “again putting Baton Rouge at the forefront of utilizing advanced technology in emergency response.”

Test calls to businesses currently in the database are scheduled for Friday, August 17th around 4:30 p.m. and test calls to residential numbers currently in the database will begin at 6:30 p.m. Residents will receive a message from Mayor Holden indicating the call is testing to assure their number is in the system.

The city is now collecting e-mail addresses, cell phone and unlisted landline numbers to also be included in the Connect-CTY communication service. Additionally, the city is requesting that citizens alert the city should they wish to receive messages via their TTY/TDD receiving device for the hearing impaired.

Primary residential and business phones in Baton Rouge have been automatically included in the system. Residents can opt-in to have their unlisted contact information included for emergency notifications by visiting the Baton Rouge website (brgov.com) and clicking on the “Emergency Information” link on the left side of the home page, then the link that says “SIGN UP NOW – SERVICES BY CONNECT-CTY” to enter additional information into the secure database.

“The lessons of Hurricane Katrina and Rita taught us how critical it is to communicate with our citizens during emergencies,” Holden said. “It’s important that we be able to notify residents through multiple means of communication to assure that we get life-saving information to them. This system allows us to communicate at any given moment or location and will serve as a reliable, effective tool in Baton Rouge’s emergency planning and preparedness.”

East Baton Rouge Parish officials can also keep track of which telephone numbers were not reached should follow up or additional assistance be required with a report on the results of outgoing messages that is sent to city-parish administrators immediately upon availability.
“With the Connect-CTY service, city administrators can target messages to groups for everything from mobilizing emergency response teams to notifying key department heads on our own staff,” said Joanne Moreau, Director of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness of Baton Rouge. ”

Authorized officials also can use a map on the Connect-CTY system to contact specific geographical locations, sending messages only to select Baton Rouge communities or even neighborhoods. “

Source: Baton Rouge City Press Release

Hawaii State Civil Defense Selects AtHoc to Create State-wide Emergency Alerting System

Hawaii Deploys a Network-centric Alerting Offering that Makes it Possible to Achieve Mass Alerting, Interoperate with Other Agencies and Monitor Threats from Multiple Sources

Burlingame, CA (May 15, 2007) --[EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION NEWS]-- AtHoc, Inc. today announced the Hawaii State Civil Defense (HISCD) has licensed AtHoc IWSAlerts™ software to build a comprehensive, network-centric emergency notification system (ENS) to support emergency response state wide.

The system has already been installed in the HISCD headquarters at the Birkhimer Emergency Operating Center in Diamond Head Crater, Oahu, and is intended to provide support to HISCD personnel, to the emergency preparedness community and to the Hawaii special needs community on a pilot basis.

Hawaii State Civil Defense, Hawaii’s emergency management agency, is responsible for preventing, protecting and assisting its islands and citizens during emergencies and disasters. The AtHoc system allows HISCD to use its existing network to reach personnel within HISCD and partner organizations through multiple redundant channels of communications - including SMS text-messaging to mobile phones, desktop alerts over IP-networks, telephony, TTY/TDD devices and pagers.

The system can be triggered either by HISCD emergency managers or automatically by monitoring events communicated from external agencies (i.e. National Weather Service). IWSAlerts also enable HISCD to trigger alerts to the public over the broadcast Emergency Alert System (EAS) using the same Web-enabled integrated system, which improves response time and bolsters public safety.

"We began talking to Hawaii State Civil Defense shortly after we began working with U.S. military installations in the region. It was quickly apparent that all of the defense-related agencies and programs on the island would benefit from interoperability, and AtHoc was already working with the Pacific Command, Pacific Air Forces and the U.S. Navy," commented Guy Miasnik, president and CEO of AtHoc. "Hawaii is now promoting alerting interoperability state wide, which is a critical step in creating a finely-tuned emergency response capability. It’s exciting to be working with HISCD and numerous other organizations across the state to help build this very important emergency notification infrastructure."

HISCD decided to create a far-reaching alerting capability that contacts various communities, including:

• HISCD personnel
• Hawaii’s emergency preparedness community - first responders, federal, state and local government agencies, etc.
• Special needs citizens
• Emergency managers for universities, health facilities, hotels, corporations, etc.
• General public via the media and EAS – emergency alerts broadcast to TV, radio and newspapers

Schenectady County Implements Emergency Notification System

SCHENECTADY, NY --[EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION NEWS]-- April 9, 2007. Schenectady County Legislature Chair Susan Savage announced Monday that the County is partnering with Send Word Now for emergency communications services. The County will utilize Send Word Now’s conference bridging, multi-device contact capabilities, and real-time interactive messaging to supplement existing County emergency communication systems.

“Send Word Now’s technology will enable us to establish instantaneous, two-way communications with critical personnel in emergency situations,” said Savage. “This capability will dramatically improve communication during floods, blizzards, and other emergencies.”

Schenectady County chose to utilize Send Word Now following successful demonstrations for County personnel. “We anticipate being able to use Send Word Now in conjunction with our GIS mapping to communicate effectively from a central location,” says William Van Hoesen, Schenectady County Director of Emergency Management. “We also see using this technology to coordinate drills and tabletop exercises to enhance Schenectady County’s emergency preparedness. Send Word Now can be used to implement a call center on very short notice, which is critical for any emergency response organization.”

Source: Vendor Press Release

Workspeed Lauches Notifications, The Cutting Edge Emergency Notification System For Commercial Real Estate Businesses

NEW YORK, NY --[Emergency Notification News] -- February 26, 2007 - Workspeed, a leading New York-based provider of Web-based and wireless applications that optimize real estate enterprise performance, today announced the unveiling of Workspeed Notifications, a powerful new system for time critical two-way group communications tailored for building evacuation and disaster recovery that complies with New York Local Law 26. By integrating Workspeed Notifications with their EAP (Emergency Action Plan) data, landlords will be prepared for any emergency situation that demands immediate contact with all of a building's occupants.

Workspeed Notifications allows users to communicate messages to all building occupants via a recorded voice and/or advanced text to speech options. Upon receiving these messages, all building occupants, both inside and outside the building, can immediately reply to a landlord's message, providing rapid actionable data for emergency workers and safety staff.

"Workspeed and its new Notifications service work in tandem to comply with New York Local Law 26, which requires companies to account for their staff in an emergency evacuation and therefore aid the FDNY in rescue operations," said Derrick Chen, CEO of Workspeed. "As a result of this new law, landlords and floor wardens need a fast, reliable and efficient way to contact tenants of the buildings under their management."

Workspeed Notifications offers landlords a system that enables them to reach out to occupants in an emergency situation and track every contact attempt. "No other real estate management system provides users with a unique 'two-way' group communications system that allows landlords not only to reach occupants via multiple communications devices, but also receive responses from each occupant," explained Chen.

Key functionalities of Workspeed Notifications include:

• simplified notification initiation via phone, email or web
• a secure central repository for emergency contact information
• conference bridging for immediate emergency response
• full tracking and real-time response reporting
• seamlessly integrated with EAP management

Workspeed Notifications does not require any specific hardware or software for installation and supports all communication devices and methods including phones, PDAs, Blackberries, email, fax machines and instant messaging. Landlords quickly activate Notifications via the phone or web. Unlike "phone trees" or other less reliable and time-consuming emergency notification methods, the system is supported by a highly fault tolerant infrastructure with secure offsite redundant facilities.

Source: Vendor Press Release

Coast Guard Auxiliary Will Use 3n Mass Notification System to Alert Personnel Prior To and During Natural Disasters or Terrorist Events

GLENDALE, CA --[EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION NEWS]-- February 13, 2007 -3n (National Notification Network), a mass notification system provider, is providing use of the 3n mass notification system to the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary. The Coast Guard Auxiliary Association is a non-profit 501c3 corporation that supports the USCG Auxiliary. The 3n system allows the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary to alert members prior to and during natural disasters or terrorist events. The system will be used by the all-volunteer Auxiliary, which consists of 30,000 members who are “Semper Paratus – Always Ready”, to promote Maritime Homeland Security and Boating Safety. As part of the gift, 3n will train Auxiliary personnel in the application and operation of the system.

"Use of the 3n system will provide greater flexibility, focus and execution to Coast Guard Auxiliary missions directed at securing America’s waterways," said John VanOdsol, Staff Officer. "The Auxiliary will be able to quickly and efficiently alert, coordinate and deploy personnel in response to any disaster or threat. The Auxiliary appreciates 3n's recognition of the importance of keeping our waterways safe and secure."

Cinta Putra, CEO and co-founder of 3n, commented, "3n is honored to provide this valuable service and to assist the Auxiliary in continually searching for maritime safety and security enhancements. We admire the commitment of the Auxiliary's volunteers and look forward to aiding the Auxiliary on their mission of promoting Maritime Homeland Security and Boating Safety."

About the Coast Guard Auxiliary Association, Inc.
The Coast Guard Auxiliary Association, Inc., is a Non-Profit, 501c3 corporation. The Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard authorized the establishment of the Association as the only corporation authorized to provide for the fiscal support of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary. For more information, log on to www.cgauxa.org.

About the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary
The United States Coast Guard Auxiliary – a volunteer-driven organization – contributes to the safety and security of citizens, ports, waterways, and coastal regions. Directed by the United States Coast Guard, the Auxiliary's 30,000 members are involved in Maritime Homeland Security missions, Search and Rescue, and Vessel Safety Checks. For more information about the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, log on to www.cgauxa.org.

Source: Vendor Press Release

Westchester County Extending Its Communications Reach to the Public

White Plains, NY --[EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION NEWS]-- January 29, 2007 - In late 2005, Westchester County officials introduced an initiative to better reach citizens in the event of an emergency. Communications capabilities have now been expanded to alert area residents of any large-scale, critical situation by email, text and phone.

Using Dialogic’s Communicator! NXT, Westchester County can get in touch with first responders, local officials, volunteers and the like using all available communications devices. In order to have this same reach with the general public, should a major emergency occur, the County has launched a web page, http://www.westchestergov.com/cens/, to collect various contact information.

Once at Westchester County’s site, residents, businesses and not-for-profit agencies will find their own link for registration. Here they can submit cell, work and home phone numbers as well as email addresses, all of which will remain confidential. The data is then downloaded by County officials and imported into Communicator! NXT.

Andy Spano, County Executive, explains, “If people give us their email addresses and phone numbers, we will have a number of options when it comes to getting information out. We will also be able to communicate directly just as we now do with our emergency responders, local officials and the media.”

Should time permit, the Department of Emergency Services will now be able to send direct notice to the public about pending inclement weather, including blizzards and other major storms. Information can also be provided immediately following the emergency regarding issues such as road or health hazards, supplies, re-entry to damaged areas and more.

About Westchester County
Westchester County covers an area of 450 square miles and has a diverse population residing in 45 municipalities. Its geographical setting is a favorable one, with the Long Island Sound and Connecticut on the east and the Hudson River on the west. As one of the nation's most affluent counties with per capita income well above state and national levels, it has retained much of its rural character while adopting the urban and suburban lifestyles reflected by its proximity to New York City. For more information, visit www.westchestergov.com.

Indian Health Service employs Send Word Now service to Coordinate Largest Mass Vaccination Exercise in U.S.

Service Provides Communication and Coordination to deliver Flu Vaccines to 24,000 Community Members

New York, NY, --[EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION NEWS]-- January 22, 2007 - Send Word Now™, a provider of on-demand alerting and response services,today announced that the Indian Health Service (IHS) has used its core SWN Alert Service and Incident Management Service to communicate and coordinate resources during a recent mass vaccination of more than 24,000 community members on one day

The Navajo Area IHS and the Navajo Nation Division of Health conducted the largest mass vaccination exercise in the United States at sixteen different points throughout Arizona and New Mexico. The plan included the real-time flu vaccination of more than 24,000 community members at sixteen sites. Approximately fifty partners participated in this exercise including three states, three counties, seven Native Nations and various federal organizations.

The Navajo Area IHS used the Send Word Now Smart Alert and Incident Management Services as the primary means of managing resources and communication during the flu vaccination exercise and also used the exercise to practice their capability to conduct mass vaccinations in the case of a disaster or emergency such as pandemic influenza. The Indian Health Service is a subscriber to Send Word Now’s Services, specifically using the services to handle crisis communication and coordination during a pandemic outbreak, such as the avian flu.

“We chose the Send Word Now Services to be the primary means of communication and coordination for the exercise based on its ease of use and intuitive nature,” said IHS Emergency Services Director Steve “Sid” Caesar.

Source: Vendor Press Release

Publishing a Press Release, Changes and Deletions

We accept vendors into our vendor library that have emergency notification 'Client-Success' releases, and announcements from related clients with 'Introduction of Service' press releases.

Our suggestion is for vendor and clients to collaborate for the most successful press:

1) Publish your Emergency Notification Implementation Announcement Promptly.

• Send us your original press release - if we don't have to search for it? It gets published faster. We don't publish releases from copyrighted wire services.
  
• Publish your press release as an HTML file without line breaks. PDF-only is a barrier to publishing and ultimately indexing.
  
• Vendor? See #2
• Client? See #3

2) Vendors: Help your clients succeed.

• How do e.n.n. prospects contact you if they want to engage your service or acquire your product?
• After purchase, provide your clients an FAQ and a standard press release so they can publish to their city/campus page. Include instructions to forward this to emergenews(at)gmail.com.
• Issue a real press release via HTML into your press section - not a "news" section accessible only via MS i.e 7 asp browsers with links to third party news.
• Be sure to include a test plan and test metrics that you can provide to your client to publish in a press release. Provide the test results in a clear statistical read-out and and an appropriate press release template.
  
• Please omit the hyperbole. The market leaders are obvious here.
  

3) Clients: Help your end-users understand emergency notification.

• By far - the largest amount of searches during the 2007 San Diego Fires were - "SIGN UP- OPT- IN - SAN DIEGO - UCSD - PEPPERDINE - MALIBU" - that is - disaster victims looking to “opt-in” to almost-impossible-to-find database entry forms. Where do the students/city residents log in to add their cell #'s? They and we, searched and for the most part couldn't find the correct opt-in pages.
• Ask your vendor for a generic press release that allows you to publish the facts and "where-do-i-go. " We daily track down many cities that rely on local news to publish the details - however, we can’t cross-publish due to copyright restrictions. Please help.
• Be sure that your vendor includes a test plan and test metrics that you can publish in a press release. Ask for previous client test results, a sample of the test to be provided, and finally the test results in a clear statistical read-out and and an appropriate press release template.
  
• How do your constituents opt-in RIGHT-NOW during the emergency ? Add the details in your press release. Make them clear. These instructions will index here and allow your citizens to the find them in an emergency.

Send Request-for-Changes, Deletions, Press Releases or Inquiries here.

Revsion .01 - Oct 28, 2007

Oneida County Department of Emergency Services Automated Communications Through Technology

Oriskany, New York --[EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION NEWS]-- September 20, 2006 - The Oneida County Department of Emergency Services announced today that they have new technology to enhance their emergency response capabilities. “We, in addition to our fire departments and 9-1-1 center, use the software as an alerting system for the public,” explained Fred Van Namee, Director. “And, I anticipate that our use of this technology will expand over time.”

The emergency notification system is made up of two solutions from Dialogic Communications Corporation (DCC) — Communicator! NXT and GeoCast® Web. The first, Communicator! NXT, works as a calling engine that quickly sends 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 selected officials from any location via phone or web.

GeoCast Web, Dialogic’s map-based component, works in conjunction with Communicator! NXT. It allows the department to select targeted notification areas on digital, street-level maps — ranging from a single city block to an entire county. GeoCast Web will then send messages by phone to affected residents.

“We recently used the technology to alert a number of residents about flooding on their road,” Van Namee said, referring to dangerous storms in upstate New York that created a state of emergency for Oneida County.

When Dialogic’s software is activated, residents receive a message containing important up-to-date information, such as evacuation routes, shelter locations or missing person alerts. In addition to communicating with local residents, the Oneida County Department of Emergency Services will also use the new system to mobilize first responders. The technology can automatically deliver detailed information or instructions regarding the situation-at-hand, and accordingly fill positions, collecting valuable details, such as ETA and more.

About The Oneida County Department of Emergency Services
In Oneida County, the Department of Emergency Services is lead by the Director of Emergency Services and comprises three separate offices: The Office of the County Fire Coordinator, The Office of Emergency Management, and the Office of Emergency Communications 911 Center. Though each office has its own unique mission, their functions often blend together to provide for the health, safety, and welfare of county residents.

City of Inglewood Introduces 3n Mass Notification System To Inform Residents Of Emergencies And Important Public Service Announcements

Inglewood, CA --[EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION NEWS]--September 7, 2006 -- The City of Inglewood announced it has contracted with 3n (National Notification Network), a mass notification system provider, to more effectively reach large numbers of residents and to communicate concurrently with City staff in an emergency or for important public service announcements. Through 3n’s notification service, the City will have the ability to record messages that can instantly be transmitted to residents, businesses and City personnel to keep them informed during critical emergency situations or to inform them about routine events happening around the city.

The City will use the 3n mass notification system to alert residents about emergencies such as terrorist events, toxic environmental issues, fires, and other incidents where citizen response time is critical. In addition, the City plans to use the 3n system to notify residents about routine activities such as street maintenance projects, water utility issues, special events such as the annual MLK and Cesar Chavez parades, and to solicit citizen feedback regarding public interest issues.

The 3n mass notification system will be implemented in phases, starting with incorporating it into the internal communications processes for City staffers. Next the City will deploy the 3n mass notification system to assist the Parks, Recreation and Community Services, Public Works, and Police Departments with their communication needs. After addressing all internal audiences, the City will begin resident notifications using an initial test message to a select group of residents in different areas of the City. Residents who do not want to receive routine recorded messages will have an opportunity to opt out of future notifications.

“Clearly, at this time in our country’s history, local governments have to be able to communicate with their personnel and constituencies in real time,” said City Administrator, Joe Rouzan. “The 3n mass notification system will allow us to serve the community more efficiently and effectively.”

Source: Vendor Press Release

The Indian Health Service Selects Send Word Now's Smart Notification Services to Ensure NIMS Compliance

New York, NY --[EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION NEWS]-- June 6, 2006 - The Indian Health Service (IHS) today announced that it has selected Send Word Now's Smart Notification Services to ensure compliance with the government-mandated National Incident Management System (NIMS).

IHS, an agency within the Department of Health and Human Services, provides health services to approximately 1.8 million American Indians and Alaska Natives who belong to more than 563 federally recognized tribes in 35 states. As the principle federal health care provider and health advocate for Indian people it was critical that the agency be able to ensure quick, secure and efficient communication across a distributed workforce. IHS also sought a solution that was compliant with NIMS and required little or no training for their user community.

3n Provides Geographically Targeted Mass Notification For Park Water Company

3n Mass Notification System Enables Public Water Utility to Notify Thousands of Customers During Emergencies and for Proactive Customer Service and Other Routine Activities

GLENDALE, CALIF. --[EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION NEWS]-- March 20, 2006 – 3n (National Notification Network), a mass notification system provider, today announced Park Water Company (PWC) is using 3n’s InstaCom GIS as its primary communications platform for emergencies and daily operations, such as proactive customer service notifications.

PWC and its subsidiaries provide water service and supply to a population of more than 200,000 in Los Angeles and San Bernardino Counties in California and in Missoula County in Montana. PWC needed a high-capacity communications and notification system to notify thousands of customers in minutes concerning routine operations and emergencies. In emergency situations PWC is required to rapidly disseminate time-sensitive information and instructions to customers, in addition to quickly communicating with employees.

Other more routine activities, such as flushing—the process of cleaning pipes through the force of water, required PWC to notify residents by sending out letters, posting street signs in the communities and placing door hangers. With the 3n notification system, PWC has been able to eliminate the manual, costly and time-intensive process of door hangers. Now geographically-targeted customers are notified by telephone the night before, providing residents more effective and timely communication of a scheduled flushing so they can plan their activities accordingly.

PWC chose 3n to meet its mass notification needs specifically for 3n’s geographically targeted communication capabilities. This geographic-targeting function enables PWC to notify customers in a specific community where a flushing is scheduled, for instance. Instead of alerting all residents unnecessarily with a notification, the system is capable of targeting a specific area. Residents receive only relevant voice notifications thereby increasing their attention to the message and decreasing chances for residents to feel “spammed” which could decrease the value of the notification system.

Andrew Alpert, vice president of sales for 3n, commented, “Mass notification and GIS technology are adaptable to an endless number of utility customer service, operations, and emergency situations. PWC’s commitment to 3n demonstrates the importance the Company places on using communications technology to improve customer service, as well as its concern for public safety.”

About Park Water Company
Park Water Company (PWC) is an investor-owned, public water utility. Its primary activity is the production, storage, distribution, and sale of water. PWC and subsidiaries currently deliver water to approximately 65,000 service connections, through a distribution system of over 800 miles of pipeline. It serves a population of about 200,000 people in Los Angeles and San Bernardino Counties in California, and in Missoula County in Montana. The California Public Utilities Commission regulates public utility operations in California; the Montana Public Service Commission regulates operations in Montana.

Four Florida Counties Launch MIR3 Intelligent Notification Platform for Emergency Operations and Business Continuity

Benefits of streamlined, two-way notification during year-long pilot in the City of Miami lead to expansion of the MIR3 technology

San Diego --[EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION NEWS]-- February 22, 2006 – MIR3™, the technology leader in Intelligent Notification™ solutions, has received a contract from the Miami Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) to provide expanded Intelligent Notification services in the Florida counties of Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and Monroe. Miami UASI was formed to distribute Homeland Security funds across South Florida. At its discretion, it can disburse funds to other municipalities that would likely be called in an emergency.

The multi-modal MIR3 Intelligent Notification solution was chosen for high-speed emergency communications in these four areas after a highly successful "pilot" of the technology in the City of Miami. During 2004 to 2005, the City of Miami used the MIR3 Intelligent Notification platform an average of once a month to speed the process of notifying and mobilizing first responders and other key individuals during disasters that pose a threat to human lives and critical business and government operations.

"We have had amazing results with the MIR3 Intelligent Notification platform," said Joe Fernandez, the Miami UASI's administrator and the City of Miami's assistant fire chief. "We signed the contract on a Thursday, trained staff at the City of Miami on a Friday, and by Saturday, we were launching notifications to all emergency personnel in preparation for Hurricane Ivan’s landfall in 2004. We also used the MIR3 system this past hurricane season, during Katrina and Wilma."

The MIR3 Intelligent Notification platform facilitates the rapid delivery and response of emergency communications to and from any device, such as landline, satellite and mobile phones, email, pagers, SMS, PDAs and fax. Once profiles of individual recipients or groups are set up, communications can be sent with a click of a mouse. Seconds later they are received on each individual's preferred device. If the preferred device does not answer, the message is automatically sent to the next device in the person's profile, with speech-to-text translation automatically performed if needed. This process repeats itself using high-speed communication protocols until a response is received. In all, tens of thousands of messages can be sent and responded to in a matter of minutes using the MIR3 technology.

"In the heat of an emergency, whether it's a computer crash, a flood, a bomb threat in an office building or a major freeway accident, even well-trained individuals do not always think clearly," said David Leibow, executive vice president at MIR3. "Add to that the time-consuming and unreliable nature of contacting individuals manually or by only a single method, and it's evident that a system such as the MIR3 Intelligent Notification platform cuts overall response time by hours, possibly even days."

The rollout to the four counties will begin next month under the supervision of the City of Miami, which will provide "Best Practices" guidance and training to those county agencies that need the new technology the most.