Emergency Notification Systems and Crisis Communication – Blog

It’s that time of the year again when malls, shopping centers, and grocery stores are packed with customers shopping for gifts and goodies. The holiday season is a time that fills our hearts with joy to be around our friends and family; however, it can also have the potential to increase the risks of emergency situations due to the stress and emotions of the holiday season. The holidays are known for being a very stressful time. Sometimes this stress can be taken out on the people closest to you. For this reason, workplace violence increases during the months of November and December. Not only do organizations have an obligation to their employees, but they must also be concerned with their customers while on their property.

During the month of October, we celebrate Crime Prevention Month with the National Crime Prevention Council (CPC). No matter your age, your walk of life, or the industry you’re involved, we should all be working together to help prevent crime wherever and whenever possible. Awareness and preparation are so important when it comes to protecting yourself and the people around you. Crime prevention is about keeping everyone safe. As the CPC says, “It helps ensure individuals live up to their potential no matter their way of life or where they live. It’s all about helping people keep themselves, their families, and their communities safe from crime.” 

We’ve been seeing an increase in violence throughout the United States over the last decade. These acts of violence are happening everywhere. We’ve seen these incidents in schools, places of worship, and places of work. These are all places we go expecting to be safe from harm or injury. If there is an emergency, we expect to be notified along with what procedures we should take to stay out of harm’s way. Unfortunately, occurrences of workplace violence are increasing. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), each year there are 2 million reports of workers having been a victim of workplace violence. That’s excluding those who didn’t report their incident occurring.

The U.S. has experienced its fair share of environmental emergencies this year; peaking in the Spring and Summer. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon with hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, flash flooding, high winds, and volcanic eruptions still being experienced - and not to mention winter weather on the horizon. After speaking with numerous organizations in these affected areas, I’ve been exposed to the unique needs each organization has when weather and other environmental events impact their operations and livelihood - and how having a fast and reliable mass notification system like Omnilert helps them through the planning, response, and recovery phases of an emergency.

When an emergency strikes, response times are extremely important — which is why you need to make sure you have the right people involved from the start. Once you have notified your people of the crisis and mobilized your resources — it’s just as important to collaborate to discuss the next steps of the crisis management plan with your team during the first moments of an emergency.

Safety isn’t simply a state of being. Safety is a way of life and a goal that each of us strives to reach. Not only for us, but also for our families, schools, and the organizations we work. To be legally compliant, organizations must create an emergency response and action plan for their organization. It is their responsibility to be prepared for emergency scenarios that could possibly happen to their organization - and notify their constituents. In this day, we all expect to be notified should an emergency occur.