The University that was mentioned by all others also recently choose a Text Messaging Alert system that has just recently failed during a false alarm, that resulted in total confussion of all on the campus, the University Administrators are demanding answers as to why the system failed.  This campus does not need to feel alone, dozens of Universities across the county have experienced the same failure. (See articles on the right of some of the Missed or Late Text Messaging Alerts on campuses.)

This University deserves to gets a straight answer from their Emergency Alert provider, and I would like to suggest 10 questions that all campuses might want to ask of their Providers as well.

Here are 10 questions that all Campuses need to ask concerning their Emergency Alert System.

Does your Campus Alert System Authorized Users have the ability to:

1. Broadcast a Custom announcement to All on Campus within 3-minutes? This means all, not just the one’s that sign up.

2.     Receive vital communication back to the Campus Emergency Services from individuals in each class room, hallway, stairwells, cafeterias, gyms and outdoor public areas?

3. Send a 30 to 45 second voice messages to all Visitors, Students, Faculty, and staff on campus. A: 30 to: 45 second announcement is plenty of time to give everyone on campus proper information and instructions as to event at hand.

4. Send a specialized urgent announcement to the entire campus or to isolate just one building?

5. Remotely monitor by Video or Audio in any Classroom, Hallway, or Courtyard on campus?

6. Have the ability to share vital information from inside Campus to the Emergency Responders on the scene?

7. Record an instant Emergency Alert Message for broadcast from anywhere on or off campus via Cell Phone, Land Line Phone or Internet connection in under a minute?

8. Are the Alert providers using safe measures to protect the campuses subscribers’ vital personal contact information in a secure Level 3 Facility?

9. Conduct a test session anytime without letting Alert Provider or Cell Providers know in advance? Most reports conclude that the Campus Alert tests work well when everyone is watching, but they seem to break down in an actual Emergency. Let see – Test are Schedualed in advance for all to see and know.  Actual Emergegency Alerts are unexpected and have no advanced notice.

10. Have the ability to monitor a real-time report summary with a time stamp of all the notification of who recieved message and who did not.

11. Is your campus Text Alerts getting blocked by spam filters, or is your campus approved for mass text distribution with the over 60 cell providers throughtout America. – My guess is that your campus is not apporved and your Text Alert has a good chance of getting blocked by the Cell Provider spam filters.   Let hope that in the event of an actual Alert no body gets hurt becuase your Alert Provider failed to get your campus approved by all the Cell Providers.

There are more than 2600 Schools, Colleges, and Universities throughout the US and many of them have adopted some sort of text messaging Emergency Alert system.  I personally feel that most of these Campuses relying on text messaging could not even get past the first question on the list with a definite yes response.

Don’t get mad at me, I’m just the messenger that has conducted the monitoring and the research of Failed Text Alerts on Campus throughout the US.  Besides, I was just giving the Administrators a heads up. It is the Campus Administrators that have to answers to the media these following questions after a missed or late test, or actual Emergency Alert Warning.

The following are some of the questions the Media have been known to ask Campus Administration after a Text Message Test or an Actual Emergency Alert is delivered:

1. Was everyone on Campus sent a Text Message during the test alert or actual emergency alert – I’m not sure of one Campus using Text Massaging for Alerts that could answer this question with a definite YES!

2. How long did it take for the Text Message to go out to everyone on the recipient list? – An Ohio Campus had a shooting near the campus and a Text Message Alert was sent out but was received by the students two hours late.  After the Police gave the all clear, and while the media cameras were rolling, two Students showed reporters that they just received the Alert Text Message 2 Hours too late!

3. What percentage of Students has signed up to receive a Text Message in the event of an Emergency? – Most Universities are finding that they are fortunate to get 40 to 50% of the Student body to sign up for the program!

4. How was your Campus planning on alerting the visitors on Campus, the Students that did not sign up for the program, or the ones that do not own a cell phone?  Great Planning!

5. Did your Campus give an “All Clear” to the Test or to the Actual Emergency? – One University left two females under their beds in their dorm rooms for 2 1/2 hours because the Alert Text Message was never delivered nor was an “All Clear” ever implemented.  The two female Students heard the gunshots outside of their dorm, heard police sirens and helicopters flying overhead and they stayed under the beds, in horror, for over two hours.  Parents of the two students were very upset and they have every right to be.

6. Do you think it is possible that your Text Message Alert was not delivered because it was blocked by the cell providers spam filters? – You can answer NO to this question only if your Campus has taken the time to apply to be “White Listed” by each of the over 60 Cell Providers in the US; otherwise your Mass Text Messages has a good chance of getting blocked as spam filters.

7. Does your Campus have the ability to receive information from anyone in side any of the buildings that may be trapped or injured? – At Columbine the Swat team waited over 4 hours to move in because they did not have the vital information needed to properly execute a rescue.

8. How many characters are you limited to when sending out a text message alert? – Is the 130 characters that most providers allow enough to accurately describe the emergency on Campus and the subsequent plan of actions?

I have been monitoring Alert systems on campuses now for two years and it appears to me that the decision makers in these Institutes of higher learning have all been asleep for a 100 years only to wake just in time to cheer as a car collector cranks up an old Model-T!

I realizs that Text Messaging is somewhat a shinny and new toy and it demonstrates that the University is hip to the latest and greatest; but Text Messaging was never intended to be a mass notification delivery system; otherwise, our cells would be full of spam. Texting is great if you want to schedule a get together you’re BFF, but using as single means to instantly alert your entire campus, might be exposing your Campus Visitors, Students, Faculty and Staff to a huge risk.

It is time for all of the Universities and Colleges Administrators across America to move the tassel out of their faces, roll up their sleeves, and start asking just one simple question – in the event of an emergency, how does our campus plan to notify everyone on our Campus with specific instructions or next steps in a rapid and precise manner.  The answer to the question should be focused around preventing property loss, injuries and the loss of lives!

I realize that the administrators of these great Institutions across the US have very busy schedules, and it is not my intention to give anyone a lot of unnecessary homework.  Therefore, I have prepared a condensed Campus Emergency Alert Cliff Note type summary below for their review.

The University of Manitoba, Canada’s Largest and Oldest University with 48,000 Students, Faculty and Staff has taken the time to design and implemented an Alert Notification System that can reach “All 48,000”in less than 3 minutes.  Manitoba has spent nearly two years and has corroborated with a Mass Communication Manufacturer and IT Programming Companies in 3 counties to develop a system that has the ability to reach “All” with precise accuracy.  Any University could implement this system with minimal cost and most of the cost is easily covered by Government Grants!

Here are a few of the details of the Alert System in place at this University of Manitoba in Canada.

Step 1 – They installed nearly 600 two-way Emergency Speaker Phones in every hallway, classroom, foyer, and parking lot on campus. This is a very large campus.

Step 2 – They installed Dial Me In Systems’ “On-Premise” Mass Voice Emergency Alert System in their IT department.  The cost of the equipment can easily pay for itself in a matter of months and is expected to be used for many years!

Step 3 – The On-Premise Emergency Alert System has the ability to tie into the Universities PBX System and will allow for a 30 to 45 second Custom Voice messages to go out to one or all the Emergency Speaker Phones on Campus with a load and clear Alert Message for all to hear!

Step 4 – Any Visitor, Student, Faculty or Staff on campus can communicate back to the Campus Police via the same Emergency Phone Boxes!

Step 5 – Authorized Administrative Users can call into an 800 number, record a precise 30 to 45 second message with details of the Emergency event or urgent notification, and deliver that message to virtually unlimited groups and subgroups in less than a minute.

Step 6 – In the last test the University was able to analyze a real time report summary and concluded that the entire Test was delivered conclusively in less than 3 minutes.  Test message #2 was delivered 3 minutes later and the 3^rd message followed.  All three voice messages were delivered in 12 minutes.  The University also implements LCD message Banners in the hallway, Text and Email messages, Desk Top Alerts, and Website updates as a complete system.

Other universities that have implemented this On-Premise mass voice notification system are planning on using the system for a myriad of marketing uses such as Continuing Educations course announcements, and uses by some of the larger department and groups on campus for day to day notification.

One of the unique features developed by Dial Me In System’s On-Premise Voice Broadcaster Pro is the ability to priorities the urgency of any announcements in the system.  This is an exclusive feature to the DMI System, and it allows for the VBP to shut down any notification in the system once a 911, 912, or 913 Alert Message is authorized.  This would allow for the full weight of the system to be available to rapidly delver the Emergency Alert Message.

DMI encourages all of it user of the VBP to use the system for day to day application with built in assurance that it will perform each and every time when an urgent notification need arises.

In closing, allow me to give a visual automobile reference to the alert systems being used on campuses today.

· Outdoor Loud Sirens Systems – Model-T – perfect during WWII.

· Text Messaging – Mercury Grand Marquis – nice features but lacks performance and design.

· On Premise VBP Emergency Alert and Mass Notification System – Congratulations – you just parked a Mercedes in the driveway.

Hope this information was helpful – Good luck and stay safe.

Please click here is you would like a Case Study of the Emergency Alert system in place at The University of Manitoba.

Dial Me In Systems On-Premise Voice Broadcaster Pro

Ohio-Based Designer and Manufacturer of Mass Alert Notification Technology Launches the “Voice Broadcaster Pro” – America’s Very First, On-Premise, Instant Voice Emergency Alert and Mass Notification System. The Voice Broadcaster Pro brings in a new era of effective, instant mass voice Emergency Alert and Notification for your Business Organizations or Government Agencies.”

After years of research and development, DMI introduces the Voice Broadcaster Pro” a unique Instant Emergency Voice communication protocol system that allows Police and Fire Departments, Colleges and Schools, Government Agencies, Community Groups, Businesses and Nonprofit Organizations to send instant, Voice Emergency, Advisory Alerts, or Day to Day Notifications to a virtually unlimited amount of recipients via cell and land line phones within minutes.

DMI: Voice Broadcaster Pro for Public and Private Sectors

Organizations and Groups across America now have a truly affordable, incredibly fast means of sending every recipient in their data base an instant Voice, emergency alert or mass advisory notification…what they need to know, when they need to know it.

DMI: Voice Broadcaster Pro offers two Mass Voice Application Features:

Emergency Alert Feature – Send a 30 to 45 second voice alert in under a minute to multiple recipients
Notification Feature – Send day to day notifications to unlimited groups and sub groups.

DMI: VBP Unique Feature Makes Mass Notification Possible.

When designing the Voice Broadcaster Pro, DMI’s corporate design team realized the need for an Emergency Alert message to have instant top priority classification without human interaction. With the VBP, once a Reverse 911 Alert is implemented, a unique Prioritization Feature will automatically pre-empt any other Notification that may be in process at the same time of your Urgent Alert. This means top priority is given to your Reverse 911 Alert Message. Your Emergency Alert Voice Announcement is sent out at that very moment!

Most Automatic Mass Communication Systems on the market today do not have the ability to distinguish the difference between an Emergency Alert and a Non Emergency Notification. This is the key reason for the rash of missed or late Emergency Alert that is prevalent today. DMI has taken the extra steps necessary to insure that you vital emergency alert is delivered at that very moment without delay.
This feature is not present on any Mass Auto Communication Systems on the Market today.

DMI: Delivers a Voice Emergency Alert Message in Under a Minute.  Watch a video presentation of the DMI Emergency Alert System.

DMI System’s has 3-ways an Authorized User(s) can initiate and broadcast an Emergency Alert or Mass Notification Message. The User can call in from a Cell Phone, Land Line Phone or log in using DMI’s Web Internet Connection.

Dial into a Toll Free 800 number from anywhere – Follow the systems instructional voice prompts:

• Enter User Name and Password.
• Record a 30 to 45 second Emergency Alert or Notification message .
• You will then hear an instant playback of the message for review.
• Voice prompt will instruct you to approve or re-record your message.
• Voice prompt will instruct you to enter a predetermined 4 digit (1111) list of recipients.
• Voice Prompt will ask if you would like to enter another list for broadcast or press # to send your message.

Your Message at that very moment is on its way.  It is just that easy to “Touch Them All, With Just One Call!”

Click Here – To Set up a “No Charge” Emergency Alert Test Account