Miami Dade College’s New Alert System to Enhance Communication During Emergency
Miami, Friday, February 01, 2008 - The tragic incident at Virginia Tech has brought the topic of emergency notification preparedness at colleges to the forefront. In an effort to further enhance effective communication during an emergency, Miami Dade College (MDC) has partnered with Miami-Dade County and Inspiron Logistics to launch a new wireless notification system on Monday, Feb. 4.
Currently, MDC uses a number of resources, such as hotlines, the Web, voicemail, the media and press releases, to notify its community of an emergency. The new alert system will allow the College’s Crisis Management Team to alert registered users about critical incidents impacting the college through text messaging, personal e-mail and/or pagers.
“Miami Dade College is continually looking for ways to enhance its capability to communicate quickly and effectively in a crisis because we believe this provides the best opportunity to keep our faculty, students and staff even safer,” said Scott Burnotes, director of MDC Emergency Preparedness.
Registered users will also receive messages regarding large-scale incidents affecting the county, such as hurricanes, hazardous materials releases and/or a terrorist attacks. The alert service is provided free of charge, but text messaging fees may apply depending on the receiver’s mobile calling plan.
While anyone can register, the system is aimed at the MDC college community – students, family, faculty and staff, and all are strongly encouraged to participate in order to maximize the effectiveness of the alert system. Please note that registering for the new system will not alter the emergency contact information listed in personal records folder. To register, please visit http://www.mdc.edu/alerts.
For more information regarding the MDC Alerts system, please contact: Scott Burnotes, director of Emergency Preparedness at MDC, (305) 237-3774.
Media-only contacts:
Juan Mendieta, 305-237-7611, jmendiet@mdc.edu, MDC communications director
Beverly C. Williams, 305-237-3949, brodrigu@mdc.edu, MDC media relations director
Sue Arrowsmith, 305-237-3710, sue.arrowsmith@mdc.edu, media specialist