Jewish Community Centers Prepared When Threats are Phoned In

By Greg Smith

Jewish community centers are welcoming places for people to come together in comfort. However, threatening phone calls targeting Jewish groups shattered that feeling of comfort and replaced it with fear. As law enforcement agents continue to investigate the more than 100 bomb threats to Jewish community centers and schools across the U.S. and Canada, Jewish organizations remain vigilant against any threat against their community.

That vigilance means having an emergency preparedness plan in place. When the potentially harmful incidents occur, JCCs not only need to contact authorities of the potential threat, but they also need to notify their building occupants. At some facilities, this could mean having to alert hundreds of staff, visitors, and even school children while simultaneously providing them potentially life-saving instructions. In most cases, evacuations have been required.

To that end, having an effective unified mass notification system in place is paramount for JCCs or any organization when faced with a crisis. An effective system can reach a large group of people at once even if they are spread out across a large area.

Several Jewish organizations implemented the Alertus Emergency Notification System as part their overall emergency preparedness plans. Alertus helps enhance their emergency communication by leveraging existing infrastructure and IT assets to fill in gaps of coverage.

Additionally, Alertus also helps coordinate communications with other nearby affiliated organizations.

We all hope these threats will come to an end soon. Vigilance will remain as Jewish community centers, and schools will continue the great work of keeping their communities safe for anyone who comes to visit.

Click here to learn more about how a unified mass notification could work for you, or contact us at info@alertus.com.