Critical Communications Technology to Automatically Distribute Information Should Operations Face Disruption
NASHVILLE, TN --[EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION NEWS]-- August 17 , 2005 - DCC (Dialogic Communication Corporation) today announced that Avaya (NYSE: AV), a global provider of business communications applications, systems and services, has selected the company as its emergency notification provider.
DCC’s web-based notification software, Communicator! NXT, will help Avaya maintain business continuity during critical and routine situations alike by quickly sharing information between their worldwide offices. The technology automatically distributes critical messages to management, employees and other emergency teams and gathers all-important feedback, vital to quick and appropriate response.
The software rapidly distributes voice or text messages using all types of communications devices (e.g. phone, pager, Blackberry). It also captures responses and provides detailed reports for a full audit trail.
About Avaya
Avaya Inc. designs, builds and manages communications networks for more than 1 million businesses worldwide, including more than 90 percent of the FORTUNE 500®. Focused on businesses large to small, Avaya is a world leader in secure and reliable Internet protocol (IP) telephony systems and communications software applications and services.
Avaya Selects DCC as Emergency Notification Provider
National Weather Service Forecast Office in Fort Worth Deploys Notification System for Emergency Management Agencies
MessageOne’s AlertFind Selected for Critical Communications to First Responders
Austin, TX --[EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION NEWS]-- August 16, 2005 – The National Weather Service’s (NWS) Fort Worth/Dallas forecast office is ready for action with a new emergency notification system that allows the office to quickly and easily notify first responders prior to the issuance of public weather products. Austin-based MessageOne, Inc. announced its AlertFind system is now in operation at the NWS office. The NWS forecast office provides forecasts and warnings for 46 counties with an estimated seven million residents in this weather hotbed. The NWS is the official voice of the United States for issuing warnings during life-threatening weather situations.
Evaluation of Notification Systems
The Fort Worth/Dallas forecast office began its search for an emergency notification system late last year when the staff realized its emergency management partners had a wide variety of methods for receiving notifications from the NWS. The emergency managers benefit from an early “heads-up” prior to the official public warning. The mission-critical information provides them time to deploy their storm spotter groups, activate their emergency operations centers, and prepare to handle incoming calls from the public.
Gary Woodall, Warning Coordination Meteorologist for the forecast office, began the effort to revamp the office’s pre-notification system. “We needed a solution that would be easy to learn and use, and one that would not require extensive resources to manage,” explained Woodall. “Likewise, our emergency management and storm spotter partners wanted a system that would be compatible with their existing technology, be it alphanumeric pagers, conventional e-mail, PDAs, or voice telephone lines.”
Pre-Alert System Adopted for Regular Use
After several months of an evaluation phase with key emergency team members in the system, the NWS office has moved into regular usage with first responders in North Texas who have the equipment to receive the text messages. Several members of the NWS staff issue the notification messages when necessary and they can do so from any computer or phone in the operations area. Within minutes, a pre-notification message can be sent to all or any subset of the network simultaneously.
The NWS office and their emergency management partners are doing everything they can to prepare in advance for the late summer/early fall weather season that in this part of the country is well known for tornados, floods, and severe weather systems.
Emergency Notification Technology Helps Jacksonville Brace for Hurricane Season
Advanced Communications Software to Call Residents at Home, Mobilize First Responders, Protect Community
Jacksonville, FL --[EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION NEWS]-- July 27 , 2005 - With the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season well underway, several Jacksonville area public safety operations are preparing for future storms by using an innovative emergency notification system to warn residents in harm’s way and mobilize first responders.
How is emergency notification technology being used in Jacksonville?
• Evacuate Residents
• Share Shelter Information
• Provide Hotline Numbers
• Update Community on Ongoing Clean-Up Efforts
• Notify Residents of Water/Ice Distribution Points
• Mobilize First Responders &
If activated in the event of an emergency, residents will receive a computer-generated phone message that could contain such important information as evacuation routes, shelter locations and/or hotline numbers.
Aside from communicating with residents, emergency notification technology is also used to mobilize first responders, EMS professionals and volunteers. The software can automatically contact these individuals using all available communications devices (e.g., phone, pager, cell, email, etc.), and intelligently fill positions until the required teams are assembled.
“Hurricane preparation and response takes a team effort,” continued Kirby. “That’s why emergency notification technology is invaluable. It provides the true heroes – first responders, law enforcement, public safety professionals and volunteers – with the information they need to do what they do best.”
Many of the counties equipped with the technology also use it to help with clean-up and recovery long after the storms have passed. For example, in 2004, volunteer groups across the state received instructional information, such as where to report for work and what areas needed additional manpower. At the same time, residents received information on water and ice distribution points, as well as messages detailing their community’s ongoing clean-up plan.
Pfizer Taps Send Word Now to Keep Employees Informed and Safe
Employees Instantly Alerted During Two Recent Natural Disasters
New York, NY --[EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION NEWS]-- April 12, 2005 - Send Word Now, an emergency notification service has welcomed Pfizer Inc. to its family of customers and is now on call 24/7 to help employees of the world's largest research-based pharmaceutical company stay informed and keep connected, especially during emergencies.
Send Word Now services enable Pfizer, along with other Fortune 1000 companies and large government agencies, to send a single message to hundreds or thousands of employees globally, reaching voice and text devices in minutes. Send Word Now reach employees where they choose to be reached, through cell phones, work phones, home phones, e-mail, pagers, PDAs, and text messaging devices.
Using Send Word Now's notification services, key management at Pfizer can verify that an employee is safe or perhaps needs help during an emergency. Pfizer recently used Send Word Now during two major natural disasters: to arrange an emergency executive conference in the wake of the Indian Ocean tsunami; and to cancel an employee meeting during last year's Florida hurricane season.
Michael Dee, manager of the Pfizer Global Security Operations Center uses Send Word Now as key component of a system that tracks intelligence about the security of the company's physical assets and the safety of its employees. "As soon as our global security team learned of the tsunami, we used Send Word Now to reach our senior team around the world and arranged a conference call within 15 minutes to devise a crisis plan," said Dee. "We sent voice and text messages to all their designated communication devices and received and reviewed responses in real time."
Pfizer also used the Send Word Now service to alert 150 employees scheduled to travel to an internal security conference in Key Biscayne, Florida, when a major hurricane traveling north across the Florida Keys suddenly changed direction and turned toward the area where the conference was to take place.
With one phone call to Send Word Now, Dee delivered voice and text messages to all 150 employees, informing them that the conference would be postponed. Dee also requested that each employee send a response back to Send Word Now, confirming their whereabouts. The employees cancelled their flight reservations and avoided the danger of being caught in the hurricane.
Town Of Belmont Selects MessageOne’s AlertFind Service For Emergency Broadcasts & Notification
Austin, TX --[EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION NEWS]-- March 8, 2005 – The Local Emergency Planning Committee of Belmont, Mass. today announced it has selected MessageOne’s AlertFind service to enable town leaders to rapidly broadcast notification of critical information to its select residents in the event of an emergency situation.
The MessageOne AlertFind notification and emergency broadcast system enables the Town of Belmont to provide immediate communications to town personnel and its 24,000 residents about urgent issues, such as public health updates related to the chemical plating company located in a densely populated neighborhood. Located outside Boston, the Town of Belmont covers 4.71 square miles, adjacent to Cambridge and Watertown and Lexington Mass.
“Public safety and ensuring the timely dissemination of critical communication and information to Belmont residents -- particularly in times of crises – are top priorities for our administration,” said Leo J. Saidnawey, Director of Belmont’s Emergency Management Agency. “Belmont is proud to be a leader among communities, by taking the extra precautions to secure our emergency communications plan. We are extremely appreciative of MessageOne’s partnership and commend them for their commitment to homeland defense and public safety initiatives at the local level.”
With the MessageOne AlertFind service, the Town of Belmont can reach any individual (citizen, town employee, etc), anywhere, anytime, via text-enabled devices or voice-enabled devices -- ranging from home phones, mobile phones, pagers, wireless devices, SMS, to email accounts and more. With two-way communication, AlertFind enables the town leaders of Belmont to reach its audience and poll users to gather real-time data on their safety, status or on critical situations as they unfold.
“We see great potential for emergency notification at the local level and are proud to be working closely with the forward-thinking civic leadership in The Town of Belmont,” said MessageOne Founder Adam Dell. “Belmont is ahead of the curve by taking advantage of cutting-edge technology to make a positive and powerful difference in the quality of life and peace of mind of its residents.”