GLENDALE, CA --[Emergency Notification News]-- October 30, 2007 – In response to the Malibu Canyon fire that began a devastating rampage through the small ocean-side community on Sunday, October 21, Pepperdine University actively used its newly deployed mass notification system provided by 3n (National Notification Network) to help relocate faculty and staff to designated shelter-in-place locations on the Malibu campus and to coordinate efforts to prevent the loss of life and property. The Southern California wildfires have burned half a million acres, including thousands of acres in and around Malibu, destroying businesses and residences directly bordering the Pepperdine campus.
According to students on campus, Pepperdine sent out five notifications during the first day of the fires. Two of the messages included instructions to students and faculty to relocate from dorms and classrooms and proceed to safe areas on campus. Faculty, staff and students not on campus were urged, at the recommendation of Los Angeles County Fire officials, not to return to campus until the roads leading to the Malibu campus were opened and deemed safe for travel. Pepperdine officials sent out two more messages providing status updates of the fires, urging the population to remain in designated safe areas and asking them to stay calm. A final message was sent out to officially close classes the next day.
Pepperdine initially decided to acquire the 3n InstaCom™ Campus Alert system earlier this year to further strengthen University emergency preparedness. The system was rolled out with the 2007 Fall Semester, and initial testing was completed in time to address the emergency that the Malibu fires created. The 3n InstaCom Campus Alert system enables Pepperdine to communicate with students, staff and faculty in minutes via a number of contact methods—including native SMS text messaging, almost any voice-enabled device such as cell phones and landlines, instant messaging, pagers, faxes and more—greatly increasing the likelihood that messages will be delivered and received in a timely manner.
Student response to the use of the 3n system was positive, with many on and off campus commenting that its use gave them confidence that the situation was being handled with the proper attention it deserved. Matthew Fiutem, a senior at Pepperdine stated, “The notifications that Pepperdine sent kept us informed about what was happening both on and around the campus and told us what we should do to stay safe. They cleared up a lot of confusion and uncertainty in a very stressful situation.” According to Andy Conales, Pepperdine’s Student Government President, “The student body is pleased with how Pepperdine has handled the Malibu Canyon fires, including how it used the new 3n notification system. Pepperdine contacted everyone quickly, relayed all the important information we needed and kept everyone informed as to what to do and where to go. In the end, Pepperdine kept everyone safe during a very dangerous, large-scale natural disaster.”
Source: Vendor Press Release
Photograph: Dr. Stephen Davis, Distinguished Professor of Biology at Pepperdine University and renowned expert on fires and chaparral ecology.
Pepperdine University Relies on the 3n InstaCom Campus Alert system to protect students, faculty and staff during the Malibu Canyon fire
Rochester Institute of Technology selects RecoveryPlanner.com and 3n for Integrated Emergency Planning & Response System
Glendale, CA. --[Emergency Notification News]-- October 30, 2007 – 3n has announced today that Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) has officially selected the combination of 3n’s InstaCom 5.0 mass notification solution and Recovery Planner’s RPX business continuity software to expand RIT’s continuity planning and emergency communications capabilities.
RIT had a vision of an emergency planning and response system that could address all imaginable scenarios for their geographically diverse campus. “The more comprehensive and effective the emergency plan and the more accurate the data is that respondents rely on for immediate action, the more lives might be saved,” said Jonathan Maurer, Director of Business Operations at RIT. After an extensive review and system evaluation, RIT’s management found that the combination of RecoveryPlanner RPX and 3n InstaCom 5.0 was the complete solution to make their vision a reality.
“We needed a system that would provide us with the flexibility and integration that were a ‘must have’ requirement in our environment”, said Jonathan Maurer. “Recovery Planner’s RPX delivered on those needs through its flexible Enterprise Modeling Engine and BCP 2.0 architecture with real time integration facilities. By linking our student information system and Oracle HR straight into RPX we were able to reflect campus wide changes in real-time. From the time a student updates their information in our portal, it’s literally seconds before the changes are reflected in our emergency response plans. This means that our worst case scenario has gone from thousands of bad contacts to just a few. Given what’s at stake, this is monumental.”
RIT discovered that the best continuity and emergency response software programs typically integrated with “best of breed” dedicated two-way emergency notification systems. RIT decided that their ideal solution would be the combination of RecoveryPlanner RPX and 3n’s InstaCom 5.0. RPX and InstaCom 5.0 leverage the most technologically sophisticated platforms available today, with SaaS (Software-as-a- Service) architectures designed to provide the highest possible service levels and delivery speeds for urgent communication at an extremely low cost-per-message.
About RecoveryPlanner.com – Enterprise Continuity ManagementSM
Since 1999 a singular vision of - “True Continuity” - has propelled RecoveryPlanner.com. RecoveryPlanner.com supports institutions of all sizes through their Software as a Service (SaaS) platform for enterprise continuity management. Please visit www.RecoveryPlanner.com, or call 1- 866-925-3950.
3n Launches InstaCom™ 5.0 Mass Notification Solution to Meet Escalating Emergency Communication Needs of Organizations Globally
New Features Make It Easier Than Ever To Immediately Communicate With Large Groups Of People In an Emergency
GLENDALE, CA --[EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION NEWS]-- October 11, 2007 – 3n (National Notification Network), a mass notification system provider, today announced the immediate availability of InstaCom 5.0 which gives 3n customers additional capabilities to organize and administer emergency communications in a hierarchical fashion according to organizational structure. It also allows customers to establish continuous, two-way, live communication with users, react to changes in a rapid and flexible manner, and become more precise with messaging to ensure that emergencies are handled quickly, appropriately and effectively.
InstaCom 5.0 leverages the most technologically sophisticated platform available with a SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) architecture to provide the highest possible delivery speeds for urgent communications at an extremely low cost-per-message.
Enhanced features in InstaCom 5.0 include the following:
- Organizational Hierarchy, a unique offering from 3n that enables institutions to grant separate locations, departments or districts the power to manage their own data and execute emergency plans independently or in conjunction with the rest of the organization. 3n customers using Organizational Hierarchy free themselves from the numerous limitations created by less sophisticated notification tools that rely on groups to organize member information. Organizational Hierarchy ensures quick updates of information, easy additions and removal of members and reliable maintenance of the database as a whole.
- Premium Call-In, a new enhancement that enables 3n customers to provide their audiences with a single number to retrieve simple or complex, multi-part messages. This feature significantly extends 3n’s InstaCom capabilities to provide a full-featured inbound and outbound notification service.
- Express Call, which enables users to set up temporary groups on-the-fly and quickly send notifications without incorporating them into their member databases. Express Call is an ideal solution for organizations with frequently changing contact lists.
- Enhanced Polling, which expands 3n’s versatile and robust polling feature to allow organizations to send multiple-choice survey questions with up to nine different responses, as well as providing call transfer capabilities to enhance response options. Notification recipients now have the flexibility to provide additional information back to the message sender, such as dates, phone numbers, time of day and more. Message recipients also have the option to transfer to a number defined by the message sender, creating a powerful set of expanded options for how message senders and recipients communicate on a large scale in real-time.
"The 3n announcement of InstaCom 5.0 is a timely response to a marketplace in dire need of sophisticated mass notification solutions. The enhanced features of InstaCom 5.0, especially 'Organization Hierarchy' and 'Enhanced Polling', address the complexity of today’s business environment and allow message senders and recipients of automated alerts and emergency notifications to interact more efficiently and effectively during emergencies." says Ken Landoline, Program Manager of Customer Centric Strategies at Yankee Group.
“3n’s InstaCom 5.0 solution demonstrates our continued commitment to advance the emergency communication capabilities of organizations locally and globally to provide the most advanced, robust and reliable mass notification system available on the market today,” said Cinta Putra, co-founder and CEO of 3n. “InstaCom 5.0’s extensive capabilities, flexibility and ease of use are the key reasons organizations across the globe trust 3n for their mass notification needs.”
Virginia Tech Reports 13% of Campus Confirms Receiving Emergency Alert
After 2 Hours, 13% percent of Recipients Confirm Receipt of Test Message
BLACKSBURG, Va., --[EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION NEWS]-- October 11, 2007 -- Shortly after 11 a.m. yesterday, Virginia Tech initiated its first system-wide test of VT Alerts, an emergency notification system that can send text messages to cell phones, voice messages to non university telephones and cell phones, instant messages on the AOL, MSN, and Yahoo networks, and e-mail messages to non-Virginia Tech e-mail accounts.
As of yesterday, 18,266 students, faculty and staff signed up for the subscription service, which represents approximately 60 percent of the university community.
According to analysis provided by, 3n (National Notification Network), the California-based vendor who contracted with Virginia Tech to establish VT Alerts, the first attempt to deliver the test message to all subscribers was sent in 18 minutes. Second and third attempts to deliver the message (to those who requested multiple deliveries) were completed in 31 minutes. After the two-hour test concluded, approximately 13 percent of the recipients confirmed receipt of the message.
At 1 p.m. Wednesdsay, the university distributed a campus wide e-mail informing the community that the test was complete. Community members were asked to complete a survey regarding what they experienced during the test. As of 4 p.m. yesterday, 711 people reported through the survey that they did not receive the test message.
Of the 18,266 who signed up for VT Alerts, approximately 87 percent are students, 8 percent are faculty and 11 percent are staff (Note: totals exceed 100 percent because individuals may have more than one affiliation.)
Of the subscribers, approximately 43 percent opted to receive messages using one method, 30 percent selected two methods, and 26 percent signed up for the maximum of three delivery methods.
Text message is the most widely selection option of delivery; selected by 77 percent of all subscribers. A voice message to a mobile telephone is next at 34 percent, followed by an instant message (31 percent), a message to a non Virginia Tech e-mail (15 percent), voice mail to a home phone (10 percent), voice mail to an “other” phone (7 percent), and voice mail to an office phone (6 percent). Percentage totals exceed 100 percent because subscribers can sign up for more than one contact method.
The primary or first method of message delivery selected most by subscribers is a text message at 72 percent, followed by a voice message to a mobile phone (16.2 percent), an instant message (3.8 percent), a message to a non-Virginia Tech e-mail (2.9 percent), a voice message to an office phone (2.6 percent), a voice message to a home phone (2.1 percent), and a voice message to an “other” phone (0.5 percent).
VT Alerts is part of a fully integrated and coordinated notification system maintained by Virginia Tech’s Office of University Relations. It augments other communications tools, including the university homepage and the Virginia Tech News homepage, broadcast e-mail alerts, broadcast voice-mail messages, a recorded hotline (540-231-6668), the university switchboard, and a coordinated use of public media outlets, used to convey urgent messages.
Source: Virginia Tech
University of Missouri Expands Emergency Notification Capabilities with 3n’s InstaCom Campus Alert
64,000-Student University to Rely on 3n to Ensure the Safety of Campuses.
All State of Missouri Agencies Eligible for Emergency Notification Services Under State-Wide Contract.
GLENDALE, CA--[EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION NEWS]-- September 24, 2007 – 3n (National Notification Network), a mass notification system provider, today announced that the University of Missouri’s four campuses will expand their emergency notification capabilities using 3n’s InstaCom Campus Alert.
The University and 3n announced Monday that the 3n InstaCom Campus Alert system has been selected to automate emergency communications with students, faculty, staff and administration on the UM campuses in Columbia, Kansas City, Rolla and St. Louis. Under a three-year contract, the 3n system will be installed during the coming weeks.
Using 3n’s InstaCom Campus Alert system, the University of Missouri plans to communicate during emergencies using a variety of modes of communication, including phone, e-mail, text messaging, instant messaging, pager, fax and BlackBerry devices.
The system is planned to allow rapid communication with an array of devices on or off campuses, expanding the University’s capacity in delivering quick and reliable crisis notifications to the entire UM community or to targeted audiences on a specific campus.
“The University of Missouri is committed to providing a safe and secure environment to learn, live and work,” said Dr. Gordon H. Lamb, Interim President of the University of Missouri. “By partnering with 3n for its mass notification services, the University builds on that commitment in a significant and strategic way. This will help us to quickly and efficiently communicate with our students, faculty, staff and others using an array of technologies.”
Prior to selecting 3n, the University of Missouri relied heavily on phone trees, voice messages and e-mail, which may not reach all necessary audiences with the appropriate messages in a timely manner.
With about 64,000 students plus thousands of faculty and staff spread statewide across four campuses, the University of Missouri’s crisis notification and communications needs are far-reaching and complex. The University needed the capacity to issue event-based alerts tailored to specific, targeted audiences as well as the ability to communicate rapidly across a single campus or system-wide for large-scale emergencies.
The University identified several key criteria in its notification system selection process: ease of use; ability to integrate with existing systems; guaranteed infrastructure security and reliability; and ability to address challenges specific to a campus environment, including delivering messages using student-friendly contact paths, such as instant messaging and true two-way Short Message Service (SMS) text messaging.
About the University of Missouri
The University of Missouri is the state’s land-grant, research and doctoral-granting public higher education system, with campuses at Columbia, Kansas City, Rolla and St. Louis. The University was founded in 1839 as the first public university west of the Mississippi River and the first state University in Thomas Jefferson’s Louisiana Purchase territory. For more information, log onto the University of Missouri System homepage at www.umsystem.edu
Source: Vendor Press Release
3n Launches InstaCom™ Campus Alert 2.0 Mass Notification Solution
Mass Notification Solution Targeted to Emergency Communication Needs of Colleges and Universities
GLENDALE, CA --[EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION NEWS]-- September 5, 2007 – 3n (National Notification Network), a global mass notification system provider, today announced the availability of InstaCom Campus Alert 2.0 with enhancements to meet growing demands from colleges and universities.
Version 2.0 to provide enhancements including:
- Extended support for university-controlled self-registration portals,
- Bulletin board-style call-in capabilities supplemented with sophisticated privacy and security features,
- Advanced message-recording options for ease of use and maximum message effectiveness, and
- Live call transfers.
3n’s InstaCom Campus Alert 2.0 is designed to provide colleges and universities with a scalable, cost-effective and quick-to-implement solution for targeted and campus-wide critical communication needs ranging from routine communications to emergency notification. The 3n system also claims up-to-the-second reporting of who has received and confirmed messages so administrators can gauge communication effectiveness.
3n provides InstaCom Campus Alert 2.0 via a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) delivery model with multiple data centers in an active-active configuration. SaaS enables customers to access software over the Internet without purchasing or maintaining hardware, software or telecommunications equipment. According to 3n, with active-active data centers, data is continuously replicated between data center locations. If service is disrupted at a data center location, all traffic is dynamically rerouted to a different site so that 3n's systems remain continuously available with no failover delays.
According to Larry Hincker, associate vice president of university relations at Virginia Tech, “The 3n InstaCom Campus Alert system is a sophisticated tool that is easy to use. I believe it can only further benefit our students, faculty, and staff.”
Source: Vendor Press Release
Pepperdine University Launches Comprehensive Emergency Communication System with 3n
University Selects 3n’s InstaCom Campus Alert Mass Notification System
GLENDALE, Calif. -[EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION NEWS]-– August 21, 2007 – To further strengthen University emergency preparedness, Pepperdine University has launched a comprehensive campus-wide emergency communication system leveraging InstaCom Campus Alert, a mass notification system from 3n (National Notification Network), a mass notification system provider.
The 3n mass notification system enables Pepperdine to communicate with students, staff, and faculty in minutes via a number of contact methods—including native SMS text messaging, almost any voice-enabled device such as cell phones and landlines, instant messaging, pagers, and faxes—greatly increasing the likelihood that messages will be delivered and received in a timely manner.
3n’s emergency notification system can be used across Pepperdine’s multiple campuses to assemble and coordinate public safety and crisis response teams; convene immediate briefings for the Emergency Operations Committee; notify students, faculty and staff in minutes; and reach students on popular devices with voice and text simultaneously. It automatically cycles through all specified communication devices in an effort to reach people, reducing the time it takes to send critical messages while freeing up personnel to manage other critical tasks before, during and after an emergency.
RIT Selects 3n for Campus-Wide Emergency Communication
Rochester Institute of Technology Enhances Campus Safety Initiatives with Mass Notification System
GLENDALE, Calif. and HENRIETTA, New York -–[EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION NEWS]-- August 15, 2007 – The Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) selected 3n (National Notification Network), a global mass notification system provider, as its campus-wide emergency alert system to communicate with RIT’s students, faculty and staff instantly in any emergency.
“Safety and security at our university is of paramount importance,” said RIT President Bill Destler. “We are constantly vigilant about improving safety procedures and policies at RIT. Our community can be assured that we will use the 3n mass notification system and couple it with well-planned, tested, and reviewed continuity and contingency plans. The partnership with 3n adds additional effective communication channels in RIT’s layered approach to disseminate information.”
RIT will be working with 3n to quickly implement the 3n mass notification system campus-wide and anticipate it will be fully operational prior to the start of the Fall 2007 semester.
Biola University Expands Use of 3n InstaCom Campus Alert Solution to Ensure Campus-Wide Safety
Southern California University Implements 3n Solution for Emergency Communication with Students, Faculty and Administration
GLENDALE, Calif. --[EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION NEWS]-- August 8, 2007 – 3n (National Notification Network), a mass notification system provider, today announced that Biola University has expanded its use of 3n’s InstaCom Campus Alert solution to automate emergency communications with students, faculty and administration. The University, which has been successfully using the 3n system for the past year to enhance its IT alerting capabilities during technology disruptions, recently decided to expand its use to notify the entire campus during emergencies or other critical incidents.
Founded in 1908, Biola University has more than 5,500 students enrolled in seven different schools. The University identified several key criteria in its notification system selection process: ease of use; ability to integrate with existing systems; guaranteed infrastructure security and reliability; and ability to address challenges specific to a campus environment, including delivering messages using student-friendly contact paths, such as instant messaging and true 2-way SMS text messaging.
Prior to selecting 3n, Biola relied upon a laborious calling list process that required the message initiator to manually call each phone number or pager number in an effort to contact each message recipient. The process was time consuming and delivered inconsistent results. Using 3n’s InstaCom Campus Alert system, Biola University will be able to communicate quickly and reliably in any crisis with all constituent audiences–students, faculty and administration–wherever they are located and independent of which communication devices they are using. The 3n system notifies message recipients via standard modes of communication, including phone, email, text messaging, instant messaging, pager, fax, and BlackBerry® devices.
“The Virginia Tech tragedy underscored the need for colleges and universities to adopt a crisis communication solution that speaks the language of students, and that means being able to communicate rapidly across newer technologies popular with students, such as instant messaging and native text messaging,” said Cinta Putra, CEO and co-founder of 3n. “As colleges and universities analyze how best to contact students, faculty and administrators in and outside of class during a crisis, they are finding that systems unable to leverage these critical communication paths represent a serious limitation in their emergency communication capabilities. ”
About Biola University
Biola University, founded in 1908, is recognized by U.S. News & World Report as a “National University,” which they consider the “major leagues” of higher education. Biola offers 145 academic programs through its six schools, ranging from the B.A. to the Ph.D. As a theologically conservative, Protestant university, Biola provides Evangelical students with biblically centered education, equipping them in mind and character to impact the world for the Lord Jesus Christ in any professional setting. In 2003, Biola launched a new vision to be a global center for Christian thought and spiritual renewal, addressing the crucial cultural issues of our day. For more information, visit www.biola.edu.
GSS and 3n Announce Groundbreaking Emergency Communication Partnership
Companies to integrate GSS's FM broadcasting capabilities with 3n's multi-channel notification system
Jackson, Miss. --[EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION NEWS]-- Aug. 2, 2007 – Global Security Systems (GSS) and 3n (National Notification Network), a mass notification system provider, announced today a partnership to integrate 3n's mass notification solution with GSS's pioneering ALERT FM, an FM-based digital alert and messaging system. The combination of these two technologies will, for the first time, provide state and local government agencies with a one-stop solution for their community emergency notification needs.
“Our partnership with 3n is a win-win for those managing the dissemination of critical information,” said Bobby Adams, GSS president and CEO. “ALERT FM’s personal alert and messaging brings Radio Data System (RDS) technology to the table along with the reliability and redundancy that comes with the use of a pre-existing network of FM towers. By partnering with 3n, ALERT FM adds a robust communication channel to the mix while being able to operate on a much broader scale.”
ALERT FM incorporates Radio Data System (RDS) technology to send digital information using conventional FM radio infrastructure. Targeted alerts and messages are delivered by satellite to FM transmission towers and can be received on ALERT FM receivers and other mobile devices, including PDAs, cell phones and other specialized receivers equipped with FM chips.
Customers of the joint GSS and 3n solution will also be able to receive timely weather alerts and updates through a direct feed from the NOAA (National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration), providing valuable weather- and emergency-related information necessary to deal with any natural disaster.
About Global Security Systems, LLC and ALERT FM
Global Security Systems (GSS) is a systems integrator, service provider and manufacturer of homeland security and natural disaster ALERT FM systems. The company has its headquarters in Jackson, Miss. with offices in Louisiana, Florida, and Washington, D.C. ALERT FM is a personal alert and messaging system that enables state and local government and private sector officials to create and send digital alerts and messages. Potential messages include tornado warnings, homeland security notices, hurricane evacuation instructions, utility notices, plant or school closings, employee notifications and traffic alerts. First responders, school officials and citizens can receive these alerts and messages based on geographic or organizational groupings through specially designed ALERT FM receivers or any device equipped with a standard FM chip. For more information log on to www.alertfm.com.
OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center Selects the 3n Mass Notification System
GLENDALE, CA –-[EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION NEWS]-- July 18, 2007 – 3n (National Notification Network), a mass notification system provider, announced OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center has selected 3n's InstaCom Hospitals system to automate emergency staff call-ins in the Emergency Department and Operating Room and for organization-wide crisis communications with employees during a disaster.
Prior to selecting 3n, OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center relied on departmental call trees to disseminate information to its employees. As a result, determining personnel availability was a lengthy process and teams outside of the Emergency Department and Operating Room often were not notified or did not receive the most up-to-date instructions.
Adopting the 3n system, which was purchased with a government grant, will enable OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center and other member hospitals in Illinois's EMS Region 1 to efficiently and effectively address emergencies that call for rapid, large-scale communications. Employees of the member health care systems can be reached in critical and time-sensitive situations using a wide range of communication devices.
About OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center
OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center is an acute care facility in the OSF HealthCare system. OSF HealthCare, owned and operated by The Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis, Peoria, Illinois, includes OSF Healthcare System consisting of six acute care facilities, one long-term care facility and two colleges of nursing. It also has a primary care physician network consisting of 194 physicians and 48 mid-level providers, known as OSF Medical Group. OSF HealthCare owns OSF Saint Francis, Inc., comprised of healthcare-related businesses, and OSF Healthcare Foundation, the philanthropic arm of OSF Healthcare System and OSF Home Care. Additionally, OSF HealthPlans, Inc., a subsidiary of OSF Saint Francis, Inc., is a licensed managed care company in the State of Illinois with about 100,000 members.
Source: Vendor Press Release
Virginia Tech Agreement with 3n Expands Campus Emergency Notification System
BLACKSBURG, Va., --[EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION NEWS]-- June 21, 2007 -- Virginia Tech has reached an agreement with 3n (National Notification Network) that will significantly expand the university's ability to send critical news and information to the university community during campus emergencies.
The new emergency notification system, along with existing communications vehicles long used by the university, will form the basis of “VT Alerts,” a fully integrated and coordinated emergency communications program maintained by Virginia Tech’s Office of University Relations.
The expanded VT Alerts system will debut July 2; students, faculty, and staff will be able to sign up for several new 3n-enabled emergency notification options beginning that day. The expanded VT Alerts system will be fully operational by Aug. 20, the first day of fall classes.
3n's technology will enable the university to send messages to students, faculty, and staff using methods and media not maintained by the university, such as text messages to personal cell phones, instant messages via systems maintained by America Online (AOL), Yahoo, or MSN, and phone calls and e-mails to numbers and mailboxes that reside outside the university's network.
In addition, the system will allow subscribers to list contacts for parents, spouses, or other individuals among their contact preferences.
Currently, the university has several communications tools to reach students, faculty, and staff, including the heavily used university homepage, the Virginia Tech News website, broadcast e-mail alerts, broadcast voice-mail messages, a recorded emergency hotline (231-6668), the university switchboard, and a coordinated use of public media outlets.
"We began the process of adding to and enhancing our already robust emergency notification system last fall, and we were in the final stages of selecting a vendor when the tragic events of April 16 occurred,” said Larry Hincker, associate vice president for university relations. “The 3n InstaCom Campus Alert system is a sophisticated tool that is easy to use. I believe it can only further benefit our students, faculty, and staff.”
About Virginaia Tech
Founded in 1872 as a land-grant college, Virginia Tech is the most comprehensive university in the Commonwealth of Virginia and is among the top research universities in the nation. Today, Virginia Tech’s eight colleges are dedicated to quality, innovation, and results through teaching, research, and outreach activities. At its 2,600-acre main campus located in Blacksburg and other campus centers in Northern Virginia, Southwest Virginia, Hampton Roads, Richmond, and Roanoke, Virginia Tech enrolls more than 28,000 undergraduate and graduate students from all 50 states and more than 100 countries in 180 academic degree programs.
3n - National Notification Network
3n® (National Notification Network) is a provider of mass notification solutions to Global 2000 corporations, government agencies, healthcare systems, and educational institutions in more than 230 countries worldwide.
The Company's flagship InstaCom™ suite of products allows corporations, government agencies, non-profits, and schools to rapidly communicate in routine, urgent and emergency situations. InstaCom allows a user to send a message to ten or tens of thousands of people within minutes, and receive a confirmation report of who received the message and who has yet to be contacted. The message can be initiated via web or phone, and can be sent in voice and text format. The message will be delivered to all standard voice and text communication devices - such as phone, pager, fax, email, PDA, BlackBerry®, IM, etc.
Phone: (818) 230-9700 Fax: (818) 545-7040
Website: http://www.3nonline.com email: salesinfo(at)3nonline.com.
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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
Southwest Corporate Federal Credit Union Uses 3n Mass Notification System for Communication During Emergencies
GLENDALE, CA --[EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION NEWS]-- January 10, 2007 - 3n (National Notification Network), a mass notification system provider, today announced Southwest Corporate Federal Credit Union (SCFCU) is using the 3n mass notification system to automate emergency communications with its employees. With assets totaling over $10 billion, SCFCU, the second-largest corporate credit union in the United States, must protect and maintain the reputation and assets of itself and its member credit unions in any situation, emergency or otherwise. A 3n customer since 2004, SCFCU uses the 3n system as a critical enhancement to its already-strong business continuity program.
“With employees located across the United States, the need to streamline and automate emergency communications was crucial for us,” explained Justin Lutes, Business Continuity & Operations Compliance Manager for SCFCU.
Cinta Putra, CEO and co-founder of 3n, commented, "Financial institutions are built upon a foundation of customer confidence and trust that they will protect their customers’ assets, through thick and thin. "
Southwest Corporate Federal Credit Union (SCFCU) is the second largest corporate credit union in the U.S. SCFCU serves more than 1,200 credit unions nationwide and has assets of over $10 billion. As a credit union for credit unions, SCFCU offers many services, including funds management solutions and a variety of correspondent services such as Item Processing, Wire Transfer, Automated Clearing House (ACH), and Card Services. For more information, please visit www.swcorp.org.
MSD Of Wayne Township Selects 3n To Provide School District Notification Solution
MSD of Wayne Township Uses 3n’s InstaCom™ Mass Notification Solution to Inform Parents, Teachers, and Staff During Emergencies and for Routine Communications
GLENDALE, CALIF. --[EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION NEWS]-- November 29, 2006 – 3n (National Notification Network), a mass notification system provider, today announced the Metropolitan School District (MSD) of Wayne Township is using the 3n mass notification solution to communicate with parents, teachers, and staff during critical situations and about routine events involving the district.
To make announcements and alerts relevant to students’ safety and education, MSD of Wayne Township previously relied on a hard-to-manage, inefficient call tree system that took too long to reach parents and guardians. Time-sensitive alerts and notifications were being mailed or sent home with students, a slow and unreliable method that did not guarantee that messages were reaching their intended destinations. Further, school principals were missing opportunities to convey positive messages and develop and maintain strong relationships with parents.
“We save time, make our schools safer, and improve communication during emergency situations," said Chuck Hibbert, Safety and Transportation Services Manager for MSD of Wayne Township. "We have received an overwhelmingly appreciative response from parents.”
About Metropolitan School District (MSD) of Wayne Township
Metropolitan School District (MSD) of Wayne Township is a PK-12 public school system in Indianapolis, Indiana with more than 14,000 students and 17 school locations. The mission of MSD of Wayne Township, a partnership of students, staff, families, and community, is to ensure all students acquire and apply knowledge, skills, processes, and values, to become life-long learners and contributors in a democratic society through a comprehensive program of outstanding quality which enables them to develop their potential.
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
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.
3n Provides Mass Notification Solution to Three Oklahoma Schools
Schools Will Use Communication System from 3n Channel Partner SNS for Emergency and Routine Situations
GLENDALE, CALIF. --[EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION NEWS]-- February 16, 2006 – 3n (National Notification Network), a provider of mass notification systems, today announced three new customers with channel partner Superior Notification Systems (SNS). Sand Springs Public School (grades 9-12), Tulsa’s Town & Country School and Broken Arrow’s Immanuel Christian Academy will rely on 3n’s mass notification system for communications with parents and children in emergency and routine situations.
Emergency communications plans for schools are a “must-have” as schools are constantly at risk of being affected by a major crisis. The ability to notify parents, contact emergency responders, and mobilize staff in an efficient and reliable manner can save lives, prevent injury, and minimize property damage. Administrators at Sand Springs, Town & Country and Immanuel Christian Academy cited weather-related emergencies, such as tornadoes and snow days, lockdowns, and fires as specific instances where mass notification would be filling a direct need for improved communication.
Katherine McGrew, headmaster at Immanuel Christian Academy, comments, "The message confirmation feature in particular is crucial because it eliminates the guesswork we would normally make. Our parents are busy and they appreciate accurate and quick communication. They now have confidence they can receive timely and important messages from us.”
According to Robert Franklin, Sand Springs Assistant Superintendent, “We are constantly striving to improve our connections with students and parents. We have used creative grant funding to pilot the fees for this service as we look to improve student academic achievement, improve attendance, and seek to improve communication with parents. This service will be a significant cog in our planning to manage complicated emergencies that might unfold with our students and school family members.”
Tulsa, Okla.-based Superior Notification Systems is a channel partner providing the 3n mass notification system to local schools, churches and businesses in Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kansas and Missouri in response to 9/11 and the federal government’s need for effective mass communications in emergency situations.
Baylor Health Care System Using 3n For Crisis Notifications
3n Mass Notification System Provides Emergency Preparedness for Far-Reaching Network of Medical Facilities
Glendale, CA --[EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION NEWS]-- August 17, 2005 – 3n (National Notification Network), a leading provider of mass notification systems, announced today that the Baylor Health Care System, one of the largest private-sector employers in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, is using the 3n mass notification system as its primary communications platform in the event of a crisis or disaster. The 3n system assists Baylor medical centers, led by Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas, to conduct routine drills as part of the network's vital community role in the planning and preparation for crisis and disaster drills and events.
Baylor employs more than 15,000 people, including more than 3,300 physicians on its medical staff who would need to be alerted in the event of a crisis or disaster. The Baylor network includes hospitals, primary care physician centers and practices, rehabilitation clinics, senior health centers, affiliated ambulatory surgery centers and the Baylor Research Institute. In drills to prepare for crises, the 3n system allows Baylor to quickly alert key personnel so they may activate command centers, conduct conference calls between key leaders and direct emergency personnel to assigned locations in an effective and timely manner.
"Baylor relies on the 3n system to quickly reach our staff and practitioners," said Ron Kasowski, director of safety for Baylor. "The 3n system is designed to allow Baylor to contact all our employees on our disaster organization chart to ensure they can respond as efficiently as possible during emergency situations. We also use the groups feature to dispatch our public safety employees and hazardous material decontamination team as necessary during disaster events."
Using the 3n system, Baylor administrators are able to communicate with system users in any situation requiring quick and secure dissemination of information. The message is relayed via all modes of communication used by Baylor constituents, including phone, email, pager, and wireless devices such as laptops, PDAs and BlackBerries.®