From incidents of violence to unpredictable weather threats, stakeholders across industries find keeping everyone safe during an emergency challenging. Implementing a mass notification system can help solve those challenges; however, ensuring those tools can communicate effectively is essential.

Within this blog, we’ll discuss four steps to help improve your emergency notification and ensure you’re effectively reaching everyone, everywhere, when needed.

Training

Although placing alerting devices across facilities is a great first step, it’s just that—a first step. Suppose an organization invests in Alertus solutions, such as the Alertus Alert Beacon®, IP Speaker, and the High Power Speaker Array (HPSA). In that case, stakeholders must train those within the environment on what these devices are and how they benefit from them.

In addition to comprehending how these alerting devices work during an emergency, training employees, students, or personnel on understanding and interpreting the messaging is critical. For example, learning an alert’s naming conventions and terminology can help those receiving the message understand how to react and remain safe.

Multi-Modal, Layered Approach

Relying on a single platform to reach everyone during an emergency can lead to not everyone receiving potentially life-saving notifications. Implementing a multi-modal, multi-layered mass notification approach is the surest way to reach everyone. 

Alertus is the only mass notification system provider that delivers solutions for all four critical alerting layers. Additionally, the Alertus System is designed to seamlessly integrate and leverage existing building systems and technology, including VoIP phones, desktops, and digital signage, ensuring that more people receive the message regardless of where they are.

Custom Presets

Time is a crucial component in saving lives in an emergency. Creating and using custom presets allows you to quickly send detailed, facility-specific information to everyone. Within the Alertus Console, you can create preset messages for common threats like evacuations, intruder lockdowns, severe weather, and more. Using custom text with instructions that align with your facility’s emergency preparedness plan will tell everyone where to go and what to do. These presets can be stored and activated within seconds when an emergency occurs.

Practice Makes Perfect

Testing your mass notification system allows emergency managers and those operating it to familiarize themselves with the procedures. By combining testing with facility-wide drills, students, employees, visitors, and personnel can learn where the alert devices are, understand the activations, and create simulations to prepare for a real emergency. 

Many organizations will also use their notification systems for non-emergency communication to familiarize everyone with the system. The more practice everyone has, the smoother and more efficient things will run in an emergency.