| Ever since the World Trade Center attacks and | | | | notification systems ensures that students and |
| recent violent shootings at schools, emergency | | | | faculty can stay abreast of any situation even if |
| management has moved to the forefront of | | | | the central messaging system fails. Having remote |
| everyone's minds. Office buildings, transit systems, | | | | access to the emergency messaging system is |
| and especially schools and universities have put | | | | how staff can handle problems with the |
| new emphasis on their emergency systems. The | | | | emergency system. |
| Department of Education has set forth rules in | | | | Combined with quick delivery, using multiple |
| the Higher Education Opportunity Act to guide | | | | methods for disseminating information is the |
| universities in their mass notification systems for | | | | second key to emergency management. |
| emergency situations. Institutions must also | | | | Delivering Messages |
| submit annual reports to ensure compliance of | | | | Having only one way to communicate with |
| their emergency plans. | | | | students and faculty is not sufficient in an |
| Meeting these needs for both students' well-being | | | | emergency. Even with electronic message |
| and staying in compliance is the challenge facing | | | | placards liberally placed on campus, there are |
| today's administrations. In order for a system to | | | | many places where people cannot receive that |
| be both effective and within guidelines, timely | | | | message and be unaware of a developing |
| delivery of messages must be combined with | | | | emergency. Effective emergency management |
| multiple delivery avenues. Periodically, these | | | | systems have to include multiple avenues for |
| precautions have to be documented and any use | | | | delivering messages. |
| of the system has to be recorded and reported. | | | | Effective notification systems combine traditional |
| Timely Emergency Notification System | | | | LED message boards with expanded capabilities. |
| The cornerstone of emergency management is | | | | Integrating emergency messages with RSS and |
| the ability to deliver messages in real time in a | | | | XML platforms will offer information through web |
| concise manner. As soon as threats are made | | | | sites and web enabled mobile devices. Emergency |
| apparent, emergency messages have to be | | | | emails can be sent at the same time along with |
| conveyed to affected persons. In addition, when | | | | text messages to reach every affected person in |
| crimes are reported to local police and security | | | | time. This centralized distribution scheme saves |
| agencies, that information must also be | | | | valuable time during a crisis, when every second |
| transmitted to students and faculty. In situations | | | | counts. |
| where a hazard is still developing, a notification | | | | This entire system has to be detailed and be |
| system must be in place to keep people informed | | | | reported with an accompanying summary of the |
| as well as providing follow up information. | | | | events and messages transmitted. Having a |
| Timely notification defines the ultimate purpose of | | | | system that records this information and can |
| federal guidelines for emergency management. In | | | | generate reports ultimately streamlines compliance |
| a potential life or death situation, every moment | | | | and federal record keeping. Overall, robust |
| is the opportunity to save another life. | | | | systems with timely message delivery over |
| Instantaneous communication systems are | | | | multiple media will provide security in times of |
| absolutely essential in this regard. Redundancy in | | | | emergency. |