How to Alert Employees of An Emergency
Schedule a Quick Virtual Demo to Learn More About Teleira’s VoiceCast Notification System
Steps to Notifying your Employees or Faculty:
1. Recognize the problem
Starting your notification process is simple, you don’t even need to know exactly what or where the problem is. Knowing there is a problem is enough to begin notifying your employees of potential danger.
2. Notify and poll department heads to better understand the problem
Sending a notification to your department heads with polling features allows you to asses the problem, gather more information and learn about what the next steps should be. For example it may be beneficial for your staff on a certain floor to evacuate, while for another floor it is important to lock the doors and remain where you are. It is key to get the right information to the right people.
3. Department heads get involved
The VoiceCast system allows multiple individuals to take charge over groups of people. By delegating some of the process to trusted employees you are able to save time and energy. The system works with a simple click of a button, so that virtually anyone can easily operate it.
4. Monitor check-in responses and give specific instructions to different areas
As certain groups begin to check back in with you, you can monitor responses to help locate the threat even more effectively. Find out who is already safe and who may still be in danger. This will help first responders to assess the situation more accurately.
5. Provide updates on the situation and maintain contact
Employees are likely to be in a panic and scared. Provide them with updates on the situation to give their minds ease and help them stay alert if they are in a dangerous area.
Why worry about notification needs and processes?
In 2015 “The New York Times” reported that on average, every day more than one shooting, that kills or injures more than 4 people occurs in the United States. If you include individual homicides of all kinds, that number gets much larger. The importance of mass communication in emergency situations is too often not thought of until it is too late. In the recent Las Vegas shooting, the phone systems in place were overwhelmed with calls in and out, to and from loved ones. Because of the excess traffic, phone lines were congested, and the system couldn’t handle the calls.
In an emergency situation like this people are frantic, confused and scared. In order to have the most successful outcome possible there needs to be a system in place that can help you stay calm and make rational decisions quickly. Time is everything.
Where you come in
As someone responsible for the safety and well being of your employees, faculty etc. it is up to you to adequately prepare for the worst of circumstances. Teleira’s VoiceCast mass notification system allows you to prepare in advance, so you don’t have to make the time consuming and tough decisions in the moment. VoiceCast allows you to categorize your organization into groups, giving access to the system to individuals responsible for certain areas. Easily drag and drop contacts into segments that you want to receive certain messages, and reach out via voice, SMS/text and email.
Not only are you able to send out messages… but advanced polling features get you access to responses, status and feedback, allowing you to get timely information on where the real danger is, and how to best respond. Possibly the greatest feature is the ability to plan in advance. Set up certain messages to be sent out ahead of time for specific situations. This eliminates the need to figure out how to reach people at the time of the incident.
How is Teleira different?
Going back to the Las Vegas shooting example, if for any reason your phone lines go down, whether from disaster, overuse, or any other reason, Teleira’s satellite and cloud features can get around the problem allowing you to continue your notification process. With the cloud and satellite features phone line congestion will not be a problem. If you know that the problem is in a certain area you can use the mapping tool to send messages to people in that area with safety instructions specific to them. “move to the closest office and lock the door, stay close to the walls and away from windows” (Sent to an individual part of the building). Teleira’s simple interface makes it easy for anyone to use.
Emergency Management situations are all about time. The faster you are able to find the problem and communicate to those in need, the better the outcome. The last thing you want is to be in an emergency situation, trying to figure out how to notify people of danger, while under the stress of the situation. Plan ahead by creating the infrastructure NOW. This way, in the event of a disaster your emergency notification system is already in place and simply needs to be activated.
Prepare for the worst NOW so that later you aren’t wishing you did. Learn more about VoiceCast for your organization or Schedule a Quick Virtual Demo to see how it works.
