With students returning to class this week, school administrators and safety personnel return to their responsibility of keeping them safe during any emergency situation. Fortunately, most schools are ready by having emergency preparedness plans in place that include some method of emergency mass communication.

As the communities in Texas and Louisiana continue their long road to recovery after the devastation left behind by Hurricane Harvey, Hurricane Irma continues her approach and is already impacting the Caribbean.

Alertus is making preparations for ASIS 2017 to exhibit our emergency notification solutions to the more than 22,000 security and IT management professionals from various industries expected to attend. Alertus will be located at Booth 2246.

A recent article in “Recode,” a tech news publication, details a current debate between the Federal Communications Commission and wireless carriers regarding emergency alerts that first responders around the country are able to send to smartphones.

With most people carrying smart phones and tablets with them at all times, many organizations incorporated these devices into their emergency communications efforts as a means to reach people in the event of a crisis. Alertus’ mobile phone apps offers any organization enhanced personal notification between authorized dispatchers and end users.

In 2015, the state of Texas passed “Kari’s Law” mandating that businesses with multiple line telephone systems (MLTS) allow callers to dial 911 directly, instead of having to include an additional number or code. On many MLTS systems (often found in hotels and offices) callers have to dial an additional number, often “9,” to get an outside line to make a standard phone call, so a 911 call would require the caller to dial “9-911.”

Alertus software updates and new emergency notification hardware are now available as part of the Alertus Summer 2017 Software Release. Highlighting the release are new innovative Alertus Desktop™ Notification features that will help organizations save valuable seconds during an emergency situation.

Tacos, Cowboys fans, and 90-degree weather greeted the Alertus Seminar Series as it touched down in Fort Worth on June 15th. The emergency preparedness seminar hosted by Tarrant County College brought more than 30 emergency preparedness professionals from all over Texas together to network and learn best safety practices.

The Alertus Seminar Series stopped in Pennsylvania for another day of emergency preparedness best practices sharing among emergency and law enforcement professionals. Hosted by the Wilkes-Barre Scranton International Airport on Friday, May 12, the interactive session featured a special FBI presentation on managing active shooter situations. Attendees had the opportunity to view "The Coming Storm,” an FBI film that draws from real-life active-shooter incidents and depicts the issues and incidents faced by law enforcement, paramedics, fire, other first responders and victims.

“Incredible!”  “Awesome!”  “Amazing!”  “Trip of a Lifetime!”

These are just of a few of the reactions from Alertus team members about their recent trip to Peru as part of the company’s Circle of Excellence program.

Stormy weather did not dampen the spirits of the more than 40 emergency preparedness professionals who gathered at Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, NC to learn and share best practices for effective emergency communication during an Alertus Emergency Preparedness Seminar hosted by Carolinas HealthCare Systems (CHS).

Since severe weather can strike at any moment, organizations must always be prepared for the worst. Having accurate and timely weather forecasts as part of an emergency mass communication system is key.