By Stephanie Osorno, Marketing Copywriter at Alertus Technologies

Having an effective crisis communication plan in place is crucial when it comes to your organization’s emergency preparedness. And with so much change and uncertainty that the recent coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has brought to our world, efficient and rapid crisis communication has never been more urgent for business continuity.

The good news is that there are resources available, such as The Fiscal Year 2020 Emergency Management Performance Grant Program (EMPG-S) - COVID-19 Supplemental under FEMA, to enhance and improve your communication efforts during this unprecedented time. 

If you were chosen as a grant winner and are wondering how to put your funds to good use, take a look at how Alertus’ comprehensive mass notification solutions can help with your COVID-19 communication initiatives.

FEMA Grant Fund: What is it?

First, let’s review why the EMPG-S Grant Program was launched in April.

The EMPG-S Grant Program was specifically developed to help state, local, tribal, and territorial government organizations better prepare for and respond to the COVID-19 crisis. 

The funding that FEMA awarded through this grant includes assistance for various COVID-19 initiatives:

• Planning and operational readiness for COVID-19 preparedness and response

• Development of tools and strategies for prevention, preparedness, and response

• Ongoing communication and coordination among federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial partners

Grant winners are required to provide documentation to FEMA about how they have been, or will be, using their funds by July 30th. 

How Can Alertus Help?

Alertus offers a wide range of innovative mass notification tools to facilitate rapid, redundant, and seamless communication for emergency situations like the COVID-19 crisis.

Mobile Giant Voice Systems for Outdoor Notifications 

With the Alertus High Power Speaker Arrays (HPSA), you can quickly send clear voice messages within your large, outdoor environment using audible siren tones and industry leading text-to speech technology. And now, Alertus’ newest Mobile High Power Speaker Array (HPSA) offers those same alerting capabilities—with the added bonus of functioning on a mobile trailer. 

Depending on your notification needs, the mobile HPSA can simply be pulled with a standard trailer hitch to your desired communication area and set up by one person within 15 minutes after arriving on scene. For instance, if you’re not able to have a crew of people on-site at your facility at this time, the mobile HPSA can easily be set up and operated by one essential personnel member.

With no installation required and minimal technical experience needed, your organization can use the Alertus Mobile HPSA to rapidly deploy mass notification for relevant COVID-19 alerting. As a self-sustained unit, this device could be an ideal and practical communication solution for staging areas, field bases, and pop-up medical facilities.

You can learn more about Alertus’ rapidly deployable solutions here. 

Desktop Alerting for Unified Organizational Communication 

Alertus Desktop™ Notification was designed for organizational communication both with essential and remote employees. This is a great tool to keep your organization informed with COVID-19 updates, office closure information, and more by sending an alert directly to their desktop computer.

With a full-screen takeover, the Alertus message will cover the entire display of the computer screen so that it is visible, easy-to-read, and captures the attention of your targeted audience immediately. And for critical, yet non-emergency messages, you can opt to use a partial-screen computer desktop pop-up or a less intrusive ticker alert at the top of the screen. For example, this is an optimal time to utilize the partial or ticker alert feature to share ongoing COVID-19 preventative tips. 

Desktop alerting can be used to help with the transition back to a physical working environment as well. As you begin the process of phasing specific organizational teams or departments back to the building, you can send a quick desktop alert such as, “The HR Department will return to the office on June 15th. Stay tuned for ongoing departmental updates.” 

Mobile Apps for Rapid Alerts on the go 

The Alertus Mobile App Suite, which includes the Alertus Activator App and the Alertus Recipient App, was built for enhanced mobile notification between authorized dispatchers and end users. Mobile app alerts are a reliable method of communication for sending and receiving alerts within a matter of seconds using just a WiFi connection. And they ensure that you are able to reach your target audience even when they’re away from their computers.

In response to the COVID-19 outbreak, Alertus has launched a new Alertus Recipient Mobile App feature, ThreatWatcher™ Mobile - Pandemic Alerts, where users who have tested positive for COVID-19 can anonymously submit their tracked movements from the previous 15 days. This new pandemic alerting feature can help you and your team stay proactive about COVID-19 threats within the organization. 

What Should I do Next?

To learn more about how Alertus is helping organizations to navigate the many operational changes brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, be sure to check out Alertus’ COVID-19 Resources page. 

You can also contact an Alertus Representative to start implementing the mass communication tools needed to maintain business continuity and stay regularly connected with your organization.