​​Import of Personnel Records

Organizations can assign key individuals in individual departments to import and maintain personnel records for their specific group. Users will receive periodic automated reminders to help keep the information up-to-date, and these users can access their records at any time to update relevant information

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Staff / Volunteer Registration

Agencies can directly manage personnel records, or volunteers and staff can self-register through an email link reducing data entry chores. Anyone who becomes a user can be responsible for responding to notices and maintaining his or her own profile, which helps ensure data is always up to date, while reducing keying errors and virtually eliminating the duplicate keying of information.

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Group Registration of Staff

If preferred, links can be sent to an organization’s representative to register and maintain the list of personnel within their agency, to establish key communications lists for emergency notification. Critical and essential personnel can be flagged to facilitate how and when communications are sent to different groups. Users can prearrange sending system reminders requesting staff members review and update their information.

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Facility Resident Registration

Used by member agencies to enter and maintain a list of patients or residents within their facility that may require assistance or functional consideration during emergency situations. Each individual’s specific needs and required level of care can be confidentially entered for easy reference. That information can be provided in aggregate to key responders and preparedness coordinators for planning or more specifically during an emergency. As with other functions, automatic reminders can be sent to encourage the periodic review and update of the information.

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Virtual Exercise – Update Reminders

Periodic virtual exercises remind users to update their information and ensure every person stays connected and accessible. These twice annual tests help make sure that firewalls, filters and email addresses have not changed and still allow contact by the system. When individual users participate in the test or exercise, in addition to confirming their information, they confirm their ability to receive and access secure information. Any anomalies are reported automatically for follow up.

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Reverse 911 Upload

Member agencies can opt to upload 911 data (land line phone numbers) which is then automatically mapped to the known location of each address. As residents self-register, the system automatically connects the 911 records on file with the newly registered and more complete contact record. As updated 911 records are added, the system manages the changed, deleted or added records as well as which records are being maintained by the individuals themselves via the self-registration process.

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Customer Data Import

This function was designed to allow public service utilities such as water and wastewater districts, electric cooperatives and other types of utilities to import their customer contact files directly into the system. This information may include phone and email addresses, address or geo-location data, which can be mapped for filtering notices to specific locations. Similar to the way registrations are linked to 911 data, as residents self-register the system automatically connects the customer record on file with the newly registered and more complete contact record. As new customer records are imported, the program manages the added, changed and deleted records.

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Regional Resident Registration

Member agencies can participate in an integrated regional registry that provides a one-stop-shop for constituents or residents to request daily and emergency communications. Each resident can choose from an array of communication options offered by the many jurisdictions and agencies where they live, work, own property or have loved ones. The registrant can select the preferred way to contact them and can login at any time to update their contact information, their chosen types of communications or to opt-in or opt-out of choices being offered within the community.

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Personal / Group Communications

The communications function allows distribution of messages by various methods including; email, text message, fax, pager, voice broadcast, and/or voice response. Messages can be sent to key contacts and staff in any combination of individuals, organizational groups, and custom groups the user desires. Users can create templates for alerts or emergency communications that can be used at a later date. The system maintains a historical record of the communications that have been sent and received, providing an alternate method of retrieving messages during disasters.

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Emergency Notifications / Alerts

For emergency notifications, the system provides the ability for each agency to define preferences that allow multiple users within a jurisdiction to send consistent and recognizable notices to the public. The settings include the type of message (e.g. email, text, phone), the type of device (e.g. home, work, mobile) and the default agency to notify residents. To help with situation awareness, the system can auto-notify local and regional leadership of any emergency message sent by any user.

 

Natural Voice Messages

Allows users to record and upload their own voice to send out messages to employees, responders or the public. This can allow more rapid preparation of the message and may improve recipient response.

 

Priority Text

True text messaging is available for alerting emergency responders or to communicate with the entire community. This fee based service ensures that recipient’s mobile phone service providers will expedite delivery of messages sent using this method, reducing delivery time and ensuring a more rapid notification.

 

Direct Mobile Access

The Fully Connect mobile app is designed to allow users to receive i-INFO messages and weather notices sent by text or email on their web enabled wireless device without relying on standard email or text services. As long as internet services/wifi is available, email and texts from the National Weather Services as well as from the i-INFO communications system can be received even if phone-provider text service is interrupted or slow. This provides back up communications methods for responders and residents alike.

 

Language Translation

The new language translation feature of the communication function allows people to register to receive emails or electronic voice messages in one of several other available languages. Users create the message in English, and the system automatically translates it. This allows more complete notification of diverse populations among residents.

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National Weather Service Alerts

The system provides the ability for each sponsored region and member agency to define preferences for their residents to receive automated alerts from the National Weather Service. During registration, residents can opt-in to receive these notices and customize the alerts they want by type and level of severity. Unique "quiet times" can be set by each registrant defining any time they prefer not to receive weather notices. A link is provided in each email or text message allowing recipients to view all open notices they have received, as well as allowing them to set their alerts on "snooze" when weather awareness is not a concern and messages are not wanted, such as during important meetings.

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Advanced Communications

A map selector allows authorized users to specify areas to be notified and the call sequence in which to notify them. The user can define any area by a radius, ellipse, rectangle, polygon or combination. The system will automatically prioritize the messages to persons in the affected area based on the location of the impact area (if entered), the types of messages being sent and the types of devices receiving the message. Furthermore, the sender can exclude one or more addresses for purposes of stand-off.

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Create / Import of Map Boundaries

Any map boundary can be created and stored for future use, as well as imported from a boundary file from another GIS system. Imported files will often include the recognized definition of coastal surge areas, multiple flood zones by elevation above flood stage and other complex shapes. Boundary files for city limits and county lines can be imported to limit the access to regional 911 data files.

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Quick Launch Templates

Communication templates can be created that include as much or as little information as is appropriate to the situation. Users can pre-define how the messages should be sent, what information should be included in the message, including placeholders for flexible data entry at the time of need, and even appropriate groups of people who should receive each type of communication.

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Mass Notification from Mobile Device

Authorized users can launch notifications to groups from the field using any smart phone. Designed specifically for use on the smaller screen the mobile communications function allows users to retain the ability to send to registrants, 911 lists, mapped areas and pre-defined internal or external groups from anywhere their smart phone gets a signal.

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Tiered Evacuation Planning / Notices

For areas where evacuation zones have been identified, communications and emergency notifications can be sent based on the individual’s home, work or school location within the designated evacuation area. If these designated areas are known to the system, the system can automatically assign the appropriate zone identifier to each address record, upon submittal of each address.