I've written before in DA about emergency notification systems, their increasing popularity, many new capabilities that extend beyond emergencies to more regular communication, and transition to fully hosted, cloud-based systems.
Unfortunately, for all those developments, the question can certainly still be raised: what if in an emergency, your notification system works perfectly, but the wireless network that alerts your community's cellular phones is overloaded? Messages that need to be heard immediately could be delayed or lost.
This is the scenario that American Messaging has responded to with their RAVENAlert devices, made by their subsidiary IntelliGuard Systems. These are dedicated wall units that immediately display text messages from an administrator in every room with the units installed, and have a loud alarm and flashing light They use a dedicated network that has been in use primarily in hospitals and by first responders, but also on college campuses for decades, so it can't get overloaded because emergency messages are its only purpose.
Their latest product focuses on alerting individuals, not just rooms or buildings, via a small keychain messenger. The company just tested the devices last week with 50 students, faculty and staff members at Texas Southern University in Houston, and all users were instantly notified simultaneously while spread across the 150-acre campus. Pretty interesting...and definitely a possibility in the K12 arena. And another reason to not lose your keys!
Comments