The Many Surprises of Emergency Communication

We conducted a survey of 400 large organizations – including schools, healthcare facilities, municipalities, and large enterprises – and learned some interesting statistics about emergency communication, and the need for AlertMedia.

Surprise #1

Percent of those using an emergency communication system that DO NOT include text messages or other “real-time” notification: 65.6 percent.

So what do they use for their old-school notifications? Mass e-mail, phone trees, or nothing at all in most cases.

Why not just use smoke signals and carrier pigeons?

The good news is times are changing, and the live streaming alerts and two-way notifications that AlertMedia offers can bring all of these organizations up-to-date (and out of the 1990s).

Surprise #2

Percent of employees that say their employers failed to notify them of an emergency (too late or not at all): 31.7 percent.

Maybe the employers didn’t feel it was their responsibility? Maybe they didn’t think an emergency would happen to their organization? We’re sure that in some of these cases, the employer made an attempt to notify, but it was just too slow or the wrong channel (see Surprise #1 above).

AlertMedia allows the employer to choose any channel. We provide apps, texts, calls, emails, and social media channels, along with an API to plug into additional channels that our clients use (i.e. an intranet or dispatch system).

The bottom line is that emergency communication is a business issue. Loss of life, injury, property damage, business downtime, reputation damage, and potential litigation are real risks that every organization faces.

Hint: Don’t be part of the 31.7 percent. When your people are on the clock, working for you, wearing your uniform, or in your facility, you are responsible for warning them of potential or existing dangers.

Surprise #3

While weather, traffic, and road conditions created a need for urgent communication for nearly everyone, other more extreme alert situations were surprisingly common.

Percent of respondents who experienced these situations at work within the last 12 months:

• Terror/bomb threat: 8 percent
• Fire/smoke: 12 percent
• Criminal activity on site: 13 percent
• An outbreak of disease/illness: 16 percent
• Criminal activity in the area: 21 percent

Threats are real and can happen in the workplace at any time. This is why a dependable, real-time notification system is vital.

We solve all of these problems and more. So don’t be surprised when something pops up – be prepared. Because when every second counts, you can count on AlertMedia. Give us a try — for free!