Emergency Notification Systems and Crisis Communication – Blog

Dr. Anthony Fauci is an American physician and immunologist who has served as the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) since 1984.  As a physician with the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Dr. Fauci has served American public health in various capacities for over 50 years, and has been an advisor to every U.S. president since Ronald Reagan.  Since January 2020, he has been one of the lead members of the Trump Administration's White House Coronavirus Task Force addressing the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.  

Higher education institutions are currently facing unique circumstances due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Many questions have been swirling around how to ensure compliance with the Clery Act. The United States Department of Education has now released updated guidance in accordance with the lawful declaration of the national emergency.

Oftentimes when we think of the holidays, we think of the time off from work, school, and our other responsibilities. It’s a time that fills our hearts with joy to be around our friends and family. These times can; however, have the potential to increase the risks of emergency situations due to the stress and emotions of the holiday season. 

Sending text emergency notifications to the population you are responsible for has become the default minimum standard for timely warnings. However, just sending text messages to your people during an emergency is not enough. Although the majority of people will have their mobile phones on their person, you can’t count on that one endpoint as the only means of notifying them in the case of an emergency.

Within the last several months, we’ve seen a number of news stories related to organizations of all different types sending out emergency alerts to their constituents that they didn’t mean to send. This has increased as more active shooter scenarios have made it into media headlines. In an effort to prepare, check, or even test emergency notification systems, organizations are accidentally sending out emergency alerts that are not identified as a drill or test. This might be a flaw with the organization itself or it may be a flaw with the emergency notification system the organization employs. 

If the first major hurricane of the season caught your business by surprise, you need to act quickly to remedy the situation for future storms. Hurricanes are not spur of the moment “pop-up” storms. Thanks to innovations in technology over the past 50 years, we are able to estimate when a hurricane will hit land, the strength of the storm, and the direction of its path. Of all of the recognized crises, hazards, and exposures your business can face – hurricanes have the most advanced warning. Having this knowledge gives you time to better prepare your people, your home, and your business.