101 Blog

As the active 2019 hurricane season is winding down in the Atlantic, sweeping man-made blackouts are affecting hundreds of thousands of California residents as the utility company cuts power in hopes to prevent new fires being caused by downed live utility lines. Early season snow has hit the Rockies and the Midwest, sending a reminder of the problems winter weather will soon be bringing to many throughout central U.S.

College campuses and military installations are among the first sites that come to mind as having embraced mass notification systems, but the need to quickly communicate vital information to large numbers of people is being recognized by many verticals such as manufacturing plants, public gathering spaces and even entire municipalities. The impact of severe weather outbreaks, fire emergencies and other tragic events can be mitigated with improved communications.

Current technology, often centered around mobile devices, has pushed traditional mass notification systems (MNS) toward the “old school” category, being upgraded in many cases to emergency communications systems (ECS). Two main elements separate traditional MNS from advanced emergency communications.