We provide high-speed emergency notifications to ....
Municipalities, State Agencies, Federal Agencies, institutions of Higher Education, Schools, Industries, and Corporations.
The FirstCallEmergency Notification System is a fast, effective, and efficient method for delivering real-time alerts. We are a focused interactive multi-media emergency communications solution.
Instantly Notify Everyone by ....
Phone Cell SMS EmailInfo Line as well as by pagers, TTY/TTD devices, computer desktops, Windows Mobile devices and digital signage. The system can be activated over our secure website using any Internet connection or by calling our 24 hour operators from any phone.
How we provide alerts ....
Alerts are provided through our ∞infinity Emergency Notification Suite of services: Emergency Notification Service - Our battle tested service provides GIS map and / or Fixed List notification utilizing our web based or operator assisted user interface. BlurtAlert for Desktops - BlurtAlert will override the regular application and display real time, visible instant pop-up notification of alerts on all PC screens, Digital Signage, and Windows Mobile based phones. Inbound Community Information Line Service - An important tool that is an inbound toll free service, which allows emergency professionals the ability to provide the community with timely recorded information about emergencies occurring in an area.
Digital Signage Emergency Service - Selected features of the Blurt Desktop Alert for instant pop-up notification of alerts on Digital Signage and also has an easy to use content creation, content management, and High-Definition playback interface.
All of these services are integrated Software as a Service (SaaS) hosted solutions
How we are rated after bid evaluations compared to other vendors ...
The comparison scorecard chart below is based on the analysis of public data available in multiple public filings regarding RFP submittals.
Ask us for detailed analysis information about a notification company you might currently be considering. See why we consistently outpace other vendors.
FirstCall is dedicated to investing in R&D to bring new "First to Market" technology to our clients
Scorecard Chart
Maximum Points
FirstCall Network
Vendor 1
Vendor 2
Vendor 3
Vendor 4
Vendor 5
Vendor 6
35.00
30.27
27.20
24.94
21.34
22.40
21.34
19.86
8.00
6.44
5.92
5.87
4.71
4.71
4.71
4.09
10.00
8.05
7.40
7.33
5.89
5.89
5.89
5.11
4.00
3.22
2.96
2.93
2.35
2.35
2.35
2.05
3.00
2.42
2.22
2.20
1.77
1.77
1.77
1.53
10.00
8.05
7.40
7.33
5.89
5.89
5.89
5.11
30.00
26.10
2.61
5.22
23.36
19.58
10.44
19.58
100.00
84.56
62.51
62.06
70.63
66.85
57.71
62.30
The larger the number equals a better ranking score. For example: Pricing has 30 available points. A score for a vendor of 25 indicates a low cost bid price. A score of 30 is the benchmark and equals the lowest cost bid price.
FirstCall, the industry's pioneer, has experience, battle tested proven performance and a satisfied client base
Call us at 800-653-9232 to speak to a trained expert.
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Featured Partner Sirens FirstCall's partner for physical Mass Notification is McCord Communications who is uniquely qualified to provide your physical security public warning needs.McCord Communications represents a wide variety of products for Mass Notification Systems to accommodate almost every situation . Top quality in products and service is the approach we take to our business and that is reflected in the systems we design and all the work that we do.
Outdoor sirens and other warning devices can add security and help communities prepare for extreme weather and other possible dangers. McCord Communications offers high- powered voice and tone-only siren systems to meet your communities' needs. McCord Communications has over 15 years of system design, implementation, installation and maintenance of Whelen outdoor warning products.
News Release --- FirstCall Network delivered, 1.2 million of calls, text messages and other critical communication for clients regarding Hurricane Gustav. These time critical emergency alerts were, in some cases, potential life saving information issued by Federal, State and local governmental agencies, universities and the petro-chemical plants.
FirstCall delivered 1.4 million calls, text messages and other critical communication for clients regarding Hurricane Ike. "Saving lives and property is very serious business for FirstCall. As Hurricane Ike approached the Texas and Louisiana coasts, FirstCall stood ready and able to assist its Gulf Coast clients by issuing mandatory evacuation orders," said C. J. "Red" Delatte, Executive Vice President of FirstCall Network, Inc.
Approximately 1,330 people died during Hurricane Katrina. FirstCall's Emergency Notification Service delivered evacuation orders so that towns and cities saved citizens from, as the Governor of Louisiana stated, "almost certain death".
FirstCall notified citizens of Hurricane’s Gustav’s, Ike's and Katrina's projected path and provided orders to evacuate the area or locate to an emergency shelter. The FirstCall Instant Emergency Alert Notification System was activated by clients several times with updated messages, relaying evacuation routes, road closures, evening curfews and availability of relief supplies. Instant emergency notification also benefited first responders as the severity of the imminent danger became clear. The FirstCall system provided emergency response teams with the most up-to-date information possible, affording first responder’s precious extra time to stage in ready position.
FirstCall utilized 3 Network Operations Centers (NOC) to immediately transmit voice calls to home, work landlines and cell phones, text messages, email and other specialized communications. These included the fully redundant centers in Las Vegas, NV, Philadelphia, PA and the Louisiana center.
In addition, FirstCall mobilized its FirstCall Mobile Response Unit (MRU) to provide another layer of protection to Hurricane Gustav affected clients. FirstCall, according to company research, is the only emergency alert notification company to put its entire Network Operation Center software on wheels.
The units go pre-storm to locations outside of areas that will be affected and are staged in that location and then they are driven back into areas where they can be of assistance. Traveling with a mobile MRU is a trained emergency crisis specialist. ______________________
St. Lucie County's New Emergency Notification System Becomes Operational
Fort Pierce, FL Sept 4, 2007 - St. Lucie County Public Safety, in collaboration with the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office, St. Lucie County Fire District, Fort Pierce and Port St. Lucie Police Departments, has taken a significant step in upgrading the ability to communicate critical emergency information to its residents. St. Lucie County Emergency Notification System (SLCENS), an automated telephone message delivery system, was activated on Sept. 1 and is now operational.
St. Lucie County Public Safety, Sheriff's Office, Fire District, Fort Pierce or Port St. Lucie emergency response personnel are then able to create and send information or instructive messages to those telephones. SLCENS recalls numbers that are busy and leaves a message on phones that have a voice mail or answering machines.
SLCENS is able to reach as many telephones as the phone company can accommodate, possibly delivering as many as 30,000 messages in less than 10 minutes. All outgoing messages are in English, call recipients will be given the option to select Spanish if desired. FirstCall can deliver messages in more than 140 different languages. FirstCall owns and operates the high-speed notification network on which SCLENS operates.
City of San Antonio News Release ... San Antonio Selects FirstCall 2/12/2009
FirstCall has been selected as the provider of Emergency Notification Services for San Antonio, TX.
Date: 02/12/2009 Time: 10:45:05 AM Vote Type: Motion to Approve Description: An Ordinance authorizing a contract with First Call Network, Inc. to provide the Emergency Operations Center, a Division of the Fire Department, with an Emergency and Non-Emergency Notification Alert System for an initial cost up to $200,000.00 annually. [Sharon De La Garza, Assistant City Manager; Janie Cantu, Director, Purchasing & General Services] Result: Passed
SUMMARY: This ordinance authorizes a contract with First Call Network, Inc., to provide the Emergency Operations Center, a Division of the Fire Department, with the purchase of an Emergency and Non-Emergency Notification Alert System for an initial cost up to $200,000.00 annually.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION: Submitted for City Council consideration and action is the offer submitted by First Call Network, Inc. A Request for Competitive Sealed Proposal (RFCSP) was issued and fourteen (14) responses were received. The following four (4) Respondents did not meet the technical requirements as outlined in the RFCSP: Cistera Networks, Siemens Building Technologies, American Messaging Services and Hormann America. The remaining ten (10) proposals were reviewed by an Evaluation Committee comprised of members from the following departments: Aviation, Public Works, Fire, Police, Information Technology Services, Health and Community Initiatives. The committee recommends that the contract be awarded to First Call Network, Inc. whose proposal provided the best overall solution to the City's requirements contained in the RFCSP.
Key features of the proposal include: (1) the ability to dynamically determine call capacity of the area to be notified; (2) the ability to provide instant feedback during the user registration process in regards to address confirmation (GIS popup for validating address); (3) the only proposed solution which provides a live operator 24/7 for assistance with registration, notifications or other Emergency and Non-Emergency Notification System related issues; (4) a cost effective solution which provides 200,000 minutes per year for calls and messaging with rollover capability of unused minutes.
The City desires to implement a fully integrated communication interoperability, event notification and alerting system capable of notifying a large portion of the region’s population in a short period of time for possible emergency or non-emergency conditions requiring large-scale coordination.
This system will meet the following communication requirements for the City of San Antonio’s Office of Emergency Management and other City agencies.
RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends the approval of this purchase with First Call Networks, Inc., to provide the Emergency Operations Center, a Division of the Fire Department, an Emergency and Non-Emergency Notification Alert System.
DEPARTMENT HEAD AUTHORIZATIONS: Janie B. Cantu Director Purchasing and General Services
APPROVED FOR COUNCIL CONSIDERATION: Sharon De La Garza Assistant City Manager
Hardest Hit Gulf Coast Areas Continue to Depend on FirstCall to Reach Citizens Who Are Dispersed Due to Hurricane Ike
HOUSTON, TX - Sept 24, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- FirstCall Emergency Alert Notification Network, a major provider of emergency notification alerts, continues to assist municipalities, universities and industry with customized messages on recovery information and updates. FirstCall municipal clients are sending updates today to citizens. Universities and K-12 schools are updating students and parents. Petro-chemical clients are updating citizens and employees about restarting operations. The FirstCall Network is reaching storm-affected citizens wherever they are currently residing.
FirstCall delivered 1.4 million calls, text messages and other critical communication for clients regarding Hurricane Ike. "Saving lives and property is very serious business for FirstCall. As Hurricane Ike approached the Texas and Louisiana coasts, FirstCall stood ready and able to assist its Gulf Coast clients by issuing mandatory evacuation orders," said C. J. "Red" Delatte, Executive Vice President of FirstCall Network, Inc.
During and after the storm, FirstCall notified citizens of Hurricane Ike's projected path and provided orders to evacuate the area or locate to an emergency shelter. These time critical emergency alerts were, in some cases, potential life saving information issued by Federal, State and local governmental agencies, universities and the petro-chemical plants. Instant emergency notification also benefited first responders as the severity of Hurricane Ike's imminent danger became clear. The teams received the most up-to-date information possible, affording first responders precious extra time to stage in ready position.
The FirstCall Instant Emergency Alert Notification Network was activated by clients with updated messages relaying road closures, information on power outages, changes in curfew time, availability of relief supplies and when they can return back home.
FirstCall utilized 3 Network Operations Centers (NOC) to immediately transmit voice calls to home, work landlines and cell phones, text messages, email and other specialized communications. These included the fully redundant centers in Las Vegas, NV, Philadelphia, PA and the Louisiana center.
Before and after the hurricane most of the hardest hit areas used FirstCall including the Texas Counties of Galveston, Chambers, Orange, Hardin, Jefferson, Victoria, Liberty and the Louisiana Parishes including Calcasieu, St. Mary, Plaquemines and Iberia. In addition, the Southeast Texas Alerting Network (STAN) and EHCMA in Harris County, TX again used FirstCall's Inbound 800 number Hurricane Community Information hotline.
FirstCall Interactive Network is an emergency notification system utilized throughout the U.S. by Federal, State agencies and local municipalities, universities and industry. The FirstCall notification system is designed to protect lives and property in emergencies such as hurricanes, wildfires, floods and chemical releases. FirstCall's Emergency Notification System works with landline phones, cell phones, text messaging devices, email, pagers, TVs, PC screens and digital signage. FirstCall has provided nationally recognized high-speed emergency notifications for more than 10 years. FirstCall is the only emergency notification company with a director who is certified by both FEMA and IAEM, and has 20 years of experience in emergency management.
Wildfires Still Burning In North Carolina Counties
CHOWAN CO, NC - May, 2008 -- Officials are fighting a 250-acre fire with potential for threatening structures, and evacuations may be needed. Officials activated FirstCall with an advisory message. All residents were asked to contact the fire department immediately upon spotting any flame or evidence of potential fire. Fire officials stated that their goal is to be proactive and put out any potential hot spots before it erupts into a major problem.
Thick smoke in Camden County has prompted officials to delay the start of the school day by two hours Monday. Camden County Emergency Management Coordinator Christy Saunders spoke live to WITN News at Sunrise, and said it's impossible to tell how contained the fire in Camden County is near the Virginia border. She estimated the fire to be as large as 500 acres.
Crews across the East battled wildfires Sunday. A spokesman says crews contained more than 100 brush fires pushed by high winds across North Carolina and utilities say power knocked out by gusts was being restored.
North Carolina forestry spokesman Brian Haines said Monday that crews worked through the night to control fires. Haines said some fires were caused when power lines were blown down and others by careless trash burning.
In Washington County crews from the N.C. Division of Forest Resources and the U.S. Fish Wildlife Service are fighting a 50-acre fire.
In Beaufort County, fires flared on River Road, Slatestone Road and Waters Road. Officials said the fires in Beaufort County were contained by mid-afternoon. Although they have been called back to these scenes to put out hot spots. There has also been a house fire in the Smallwood area, unrelated to the wildfires, that has kept crews busy. We're told four more smaller brushfires broke out Sunday evening in which they responded to and controlled.
Crews in Edgecombe County were called to the scene of a fire near Conetoe, while crews in Martin County battled one on Free Union Road in Jamesville. Crews in Craven battled at least seven fires Sunday.
The American Red Cross opened a shelter last night at Hollister Elementary School for families that were evacuated from their homes in Halifax County near Medoc Mountain. About a half dozen people used the shelter before the fire was contained and residents were able to return to their homes.
Pitt County officials sent crews to help with the Edgecombe County fire, while battling two blazes of their own. As of late Sunday afternoon, the fires in Pactolus and Black Jack were contained.
Winds were around 20 miles per hour in Beaufort County Sunday afternoon, with gusts to 34 miles per hour. A Red Flag Warning and High Wind alerts were in effect but have now expired.
The mandatory evacuation for the Carolina Village neighborhood in Moyock in Currituck County has been canceled, and residents have gone back to their homes.
Crews in Tyrrell County returned to a large fire off Highway 64. A 300-acre blaze with the potential to threaten structures kept crews busy Sunday. That fire near Alligator is still burning this morning. FirstCall is on stand-by should evacuation calls are be needed.
In Dare County crews are battling a ground fire at the Bomb Range.
LSU Chooses New Text Messaging Provider
FirstCall becomes university’s official emergency messaging provider effective Oct. 1
BATON ROUGE, LA - Sept 23, 2008 -- LSU will test its new emergency text messaging system at 9 a.m. on Friday, September 26. FirstCall is the university’s new emergency text messaging provider effective October 1. All LSU students, staff and faculty previously enrolled in the university’s emergency text messaging system will be automatically migrated to the new system. New enrollments in the program may be made through PAWS.
“FirstCall is pleased to have been selected by LSU to provide a new quick, reliable and efficient emergency notification system to all students, faculty and staff,” said C.J. “Red” Delatte, executive vice president of FirstCall Network Inc.
Participation in the LSU Emergency Text Messaging System is not mandatory, but encouraged. There is no fee to subscribe, but participants will still have to pay regular text messaging rates through their cellular providers. Emergency text messaging is merely one of multiple communications channels utilized by the university in the event of an emergency. For more information on LSU’s emergency preparedness, please visit the following Web site: www.lsu.edu/safety.
About FirstCall FirstCall Interactive Network (Baton Rouge, LA), is an emergency notification system utilized throughout the United States by Federal, State agencies and local municipalities, universities and industry. The FirstCall notification system is designed to protect lives and property in emergencies such as hurricanes, wildfires, floods, chemical releases as well as provide critical information during time sensitive incidents such as child abductions. FirstCall’s Emergency Notification System works with landline phones, cell phones, text messaging devices, email, pagers, TTY/TTD devices, TVs, PC screens and digital signage. FirstCall has provided nationally recognized high-speed emergency notifications for more than 10 years. FirstCall is the only emergency notification company with a director who is certified by both FEMA and IAEM, and has 20 years of experience in emergency management.
Houston’s High-Speed System Communicates Security Threats
HOUSTON, TX - Jan, 2003 -- It was 10 p.m. on a Friday night, the start of a long July Fourth weekend, when the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Houston Division office received the intelligence threat from a foreign embassy: Terrorists planned to attack oil refineries in Pasadena, California, within the next week to 10 days. FBI special agents quickly determined there were no oil refineries in Pasadena, California, but could the terrorists have meant Pasadena, Texas? The Houston Ship Channel is home to hundreds of oil refineries, petrochemical plants and distribution terminals. But how quickly on a holiday weekend evening could the FBI warn plant managers and security directors at hundreds of potential targets? The answer: 10 minutes!
Houston’s FBI office is just one of six local law enforcement agencies that participate in the EHCMA Security Notification System (ESNS). Developed by the East Harris County Manufacturers Association’s Security Committee in October 2001, ESNS is a high-tech system to distribute both advisories (security guidance, non-specific threats and intelligence) and alerts (actual attacks or threats against specific targets or timeframes). The information is distributed to EHCMA’s 125 member facilities and participating agencies such as the Port of Houston Police, Harris County Sheriff’s Department, Texas Department of Public Safety, FBI and U.S. Coast Guard.
ESNS uses two vendor-provided services: a secure, high-speed e-mail distribution service provided by CorporateNEWS and an outcall telephone/pager notification service provided by FirstCall Interactive Network.
CorporateNEWS is a secure Internet service that can send text messages to EHCMA members’ work and home e-mail addresses. Plus, full-text documents – including any suspect or vehicle photos – can be posted to a password-protected website that EHCMA members can view or download.
FirstCall uses 744 digital T-1 lines to send pre-recorded voice messages to members’ work phones, cell phones and home phones, plus a special code to members’ numeric and alphanumeric pagers.
EHCMA’s top priority was setting up a reliable communications system that could deliver sensitive information to all of our members in under 10 minutes, because intelligence doesn’t do anyone any good if the right people don’t get it in time. Each plant designates a primary and secondary contact person to receive ESNS messages, and EHCMA maintains the database. The system is tested on the first Monday of each month; so EHCMA can identify any bad email addresses and unanswered phone numbers. Due to ESNS’ success, members of the EHCMA Security Committee have been called to testify before several state and federal committee hearings to describe how the system works.
During the past year, EHCMA has used ESNS to successfully transmit 18 alerts or advisories to its members and participating agencies, including guidance on how to respond to employees, media and the public about the FBI threat issued on the July Fourth weekend. Fortunately, no attacks occurred in Pasadena, California, or Pasadena, Texas, but ESNS remains ready for the next threat.
Local citizens appreciate ESNS the most. At local community advisory panel meetings, EHCMA members are approached by citizens, saying how they feel better about the Houston petrochemical industry knowing that ESNS is in place.
Police: Gunman kills girlfriend, himself
Woman shot as she runs away...
TRENTON, MI - May, 2006 -- A 32-year-old man suspected in a fatal shooting yesterday morning was found dead hours later in his victim's house in the 3200 block of Charles. Deputy Police Chief Robert Smith said it appears that Terrence Arnold shot his 29-year-old girlfriend and then committed suicide. His body was found at 3:41 p.m. Police had not released the woman's name as of press time yesterday. Residents near the house were evacuated after police received a disturbance call shortly after 6:30 a.m. Smith said witnesses in the Teifer subdivision near Fort Street and West Road said they saw Arnold shoot the woman outside a house there. The woman died of an apparent gunshot wound to the back of her head. Smith said it appears that she was fleeing the house on foot and was shot across the street from her residence. Arnold then fled.
Evacuated residents were transported to the Westfield Activities Center. At the direction of Police Chief Rick Newsome, others in nearby neighborhoods were notified by phone not to leave their homes. The Trenton Police Department, Downriver Mutual Aid Special Weapons and Tactics, Monroe County Special Weapons and Tactics and Michigan State Police worked to reroute traffic and surrounded the subdivision.
The SWAT teams threw tear gas into the home at about 2:30 p.m. and entered the dwelling at 3:41 p.m. Smith said they found Arnold dead, just inside the front door, from what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the upper body. "It appears to be from a domestic dispute," Smith said. Until police entered the house, they were unsure of Arnold's whereabouts.
Trenton police Lt. Greg Plagens, SWAT commander, went up in a TV station's helicopter to check the surrounding area, while other officers staked out the house. "We had to treat it like he was at the residence," Smith said. "The subject has already proven to us that he was a killer. Our job is to protect not only our police officers and our SWAT team, but our citizens." Smith said police took their time and didn't rush things, in order to keep everyone from harm's way.
Paul Haley, Trenton's civil defense officer, said the city decided to use its FirstCall emergency telephone notification system to alert residents in the vicinity. Residents at 709 houses received a 30-second recorded message warning that there was a health and safety problem. Haley said residents were advised to stay indoors until further notice and to contact the police before leaving to arrange a safe passage. The calls took about 11 minutes to complete. Haley said a second call would be made yesterday to let residents know they were out of danger.
Alert System Passes Real-Life Test
LAFAYETTE, LA - November, 2008 -- Right after a bank near campus was robbed this summer, thousands of phones started spreading the news. The University of Louisiana at Lafayette’s web site and its hotline announced the crime, too. “We needed to alert the campus community about a possible threat as a result of this armed robbery. We wanted to ensure the safety of all students, faculty and staff on campus,” said UL Lafayette Police Chief Ray Lucas. It was the first time the university activated FirstCall, its new emergency notification system, to issue an alert. Previously, it had only been activated for tests. Warnings about the robbery were sent via text messaging and by calls to all campus phone lines and all cell phones registered with FirstCall. UL Lafayette’s hotline gave callers a recorded message.
“The system performed as it was designed to perform,” Lucas said. A second message was distributed after a suspect was arrested later that day. UL Lafayette President Dr. Joseph Savoie said he was pleased with the system’s performance. “The safety of our students, faculty and staff remains a top priority for this university,” he said.
Savoie encourages all UL Lafayette students and employees to sign up – at no cost – for FirstCall by providing their contact information. They can give additional e-mail addresses and phone numbers for FirstCall to automatically contact in case of an emergency. For instance, a student may furnish his parents’ home phone number as an additional contact number. FirstCall is only activated for emergencies and tests of the notification system. It does not distribute any advertising.
UL Lafayette students and employees can register their contact information online at http://ens.louisiana.edu
The FirstCall service is part of an initiative by the Louisiana Board of Regents and supported by the University of Louisiana System. Universities across the nation began implementing emergency notification systems after a disturbed student shot and killed 32 students on the campus of Virginia Tech before killing himself last year. A review panel criticized Virginia Tech administrators for failing to take steps that might have reduced the number of casualties, such as informing students more quickly about the shootings.
They’ve got your number
BATON ROUGE, LA - July 17, 2007 -- When Howard Dennis and his six employees began FirstCall in 1997, they had no idea they would soon become a nationally recognized business.
Today, the Baton Rouge-based emergency notification company has clients in 30 states from coast to coast, 25 employees, revenue of $3.2 million and more than 400 customers, including chemical companies in the Fortune 500.
“From Baton Rouge, we serve a national public and it draws attention to Baton Rouge businesses,” says Dennis, president of FirstCall. “We serve hundreds of customers right here.”
Dennis and his staff are always available to their clients, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. With 1,728 available phone lines, FirstCall is equipped with multiple emergency backup systems, including a natural gas generator, fiber-optic network for outbound message delivery and redundant sites in Philadelphia and Las Vegas.
When Dennis, who already owned Malcolm Travel and Cruise among his several businesses, was urged by his wife to start FirstCall, he couldn’t help but agree.
“Maybe my wife thought I was bored,” he says. “But there was a need for this market. There was only one company doing this at the time, and they weren’t doing too well.”
Dennis partnered with C.J. “Red” Delatte, who was Baton Rouge’s division manager for public safety at the time. Delatte, who had previously served as the director of emergency operations and 911 for St. James Parish, is the only certified emergency manager to work for an emergency communications network.
They hired Matthew Teague, who at the time was an LSU student, as an operator. He was promoted to vice president of technical operations three years later after being accredited in mapping systems. And Jeff Ross, who was a student at Southeastern Louisiana University, also was originally hired as an operator and was promoted to account executive and customer support database coordinator after graduation.
“Here we are, almost 10 years later,” Delatte says.
FirstCall has dealt with many emergency situations since its inception, including a massive East Coast blackout in 2003—when it was one of the only emergency notification companies in the country—and hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005—when employees were in the office for days working off one generator.
“We basically bought out a grocery store and set up bunkers,” Dennis says. “We really came together for Katrina, and my staff did a tremendous job.”
FirstCall’s emergency notification system deals with hurricane situations like Katrina and Rita by informing residents of evacuations and even providing information on available transportation. It also offers a telephone number for residents to call for daily updates on homes and schools. The company also assists chemical plants in keeping nearby neighborhoods informed of any potential hazards, and it maintains inbound call lines for many industrial areas, serving millions of people.
FirstCall also offers several unique features, including a citizen registration system that allows residents to add as many phone numbers to their contact information as they desire. Through multi-lingual translation, the company can deliver messages in more than 140 languages and even contact the hearing impaired through TTY/TDD accessibility.
“They are always open to adopting new features,” says Robbie Swofford, a senior research analyst with the Spartanburg (S.C.) Office of Emergency Management. “The TTD is very unique and you can actually pick what Caller ID number you want, so when they call South Carolina it’s not a Louisiana number and people are more likely to answer. They give you the ability to see a report of how quickly calls went out, [and] they have an unlimited number of fixed lists."
Swofford’s office became a FirstCall client two years ago. He says his office went through a competitive process of choosing an emergency notification company, looking first at 10 vendors, then six, then two.
“We’ve been very pleased,” Swofford says.
FirstCall also offers concentric ring buffering, in which citizens closest to the emergency are notified first. Clients can select whom to notify by radius, address, intersection, latitude and longitude or even by a freehand drawing tool. Upon completing all notifications, FirstCall sends a report to its client on who answered, who didn’t, who responded (if applicable), total numbers dialed and the start and stop times.
In the wake of the April 16 Virginia Tech tragedy, in which a gunman killed 32 people before committing suicide, Dennis says FirstCall is working with more than 10 universities regarding emergency notification.
“We’re working with them to figure out what services will be best for them,” he says. “Out of all these unfortunate situations, opportunity comes for us to do our job, and we’re proud to provide a good service for our customers and that people trust FirstCall.”
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FirstCall Saves Seconds ... Seconds Save Lives
FirstCall Saves Seconds … Seconds Save Lives.
FirstCallis dedicated to focusing solely on one thing … Emergency Notification.
Request a Demo View a live demo and see what no Emergency Director has ever had before
Applications
Incidents - Instantly launch alerts from your Emergency Command Center (EOC), Safety Director's or Emergency Management Director's office, police or fire command center, or remotely. ____
Evacuation and Shelter in Place - Instantly set activations in motion to quickly inform citizens about evacuation routes and Shelter in Place instructions. (Learn more about FirstCall in Action during the harshest conditions). ____
Police and Fire - Instantly launch alerts to notify residents and businesses in your community of a crime, Amber Alert, Hazmat situation, or any disaster in their area. ____
Emergency Management - Instantly launch alerts so that your Emergency Management first responders and staff can be rolling for fires, floods, search and rescue operations, and other situations.
Experience We are the only emergency notification company who has a founder with 20 years of public service experience, primarily in safety.
You will work directly with a professional project team whose average length of years of experience with FirstCall is over 8 years. Most competitors have not been in business providing alerts for that length of time!
Mc
Cord Communications represents a wide variety of products for Mass Notification Systems to accommodate almost every situation . Top quality in products and service is the approach we take to our business and that is reflected in the systems we design and all the work that we do. 
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Pitt County officials sent crews to help with the Edgecombe County fire, while battling two blazes of their own. As of late Sunday afternoon, the fires in Pactolus and Black Jack were contained.
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