Omnilert, LLC today announced that several Virginia colleges and universities have recently implemented the emergency notification system well before the Virginia mandated deadline of January 1, 2009. The Commonwealth of Virginia passed Senate Bill Number 538 that requires an emergency notification system at every public institution of higher education by January 1, 2009.
Schools that have implemented an Omnilert emergency notification system since the bill’s passage include Bridgewater College, Christendom College, Eastern Mennonite University, Hollins University, Randolph-Macon College, and Virginia Intermont College.
“We conducted a thorough analysis of emergency notification providers and chose Omnilert because they are the most reliable,” said Carol Reed, Chief Information Officer at Hollins University. “Our main focus is to ensure our students are notified immediately of an emergency on campus. We have performed numerous onsite tests of Omnilert, which have all been extremely successful.”
“Although we’re not a public institution, we wanted to implement an ENS before the deadline at the end of this year. If you are a public college or university in Virginia without an ENS, then I would recommend Omnilert because it can be up and running in a day, well before the deadline. We’re now looking into expanding Omnilert's reach by adding beacons around campus to notify people not already plugged into the cell phone alerts,” continued Reed.
About Virginia Senate Bill No. 538
SENATE BILL NO. 538 was approved on February 7, 2008 and is a BILL to amend the Code of Virginia by adding in Chapter 1 of Title 23 a section numbered 23-9.2:9, relating to the establishment of a first warning notification and emergency broadcast system at every public institution of higher education.
23-9.2:11. First warning and emergency notification system required.
By January 1, 2009, the governing boards of each public institution of higher education shall establish a comprehensive, prompt, and reliable first warning notification and emergency broadcast system for their students, faculty, and staff, both on and off campus. Such system shall be activated in the case of an emergency and may rely on website announcements; email notices; phone, cellular phone, and text messages; alert lines; public address systems; and other means of communication. In addition, each institution shall designate individuals authorized to activate the warning system and provide such individuals with appropriate training for its use.
About Omnilert
Omnilert, LLC is leading the way in multimodal mass communications for sending time-sensitive information to large groups of people. The self-service, Web-based system enables a single person to communicate timely information to thousands of people anywhere, anytime, on any device. It is ideal for announcing school closings, game cancellations, weather warnings, terrorist alerts, and marketing promotions. Omnilert’s multimodal network sends content directly to a mobile phone (SMS), traditional phone (voice), e-mail address, Web page, RSS reader, Facebook Page, Twitter account, digital sign, alert beacon, or loudspeaker.
