Greene County Implements ALERT FM as an Emergency Notification Platform
First responders, schools, businesses, and citizens benefit
Eutaw, Alabama-November 5, 2010- County Emergency Manager, Hodges Smith, announced today that Greene County has successfully implemented ALERT FM- FM radio-based emergency notification system- as a county-wide notification platform.
ALERT FM will allow Smith and his emergency management team to send targeted information directly to citizens, schools, businesses, and/or first responders. Information might include severe weather warnings, school closings, road closures, and other emergency information.
“ALERT FM is great asset to our county,” Smith said. “It will give our citizens access to emergency information no matter where in the county that they may reside.”
ALERT FM is unique compared to other notification systems because it delivers messages using the data subcarrier of local FM radio transmission towers. The use of this pre-existing network of FM towers provides overlapping signal coverage for the area. FM stations currently participating in the ALERT FM network for the county are WZNJ (106.5), WNPT (102.9), WTUG(92.9), and WALN (89.3). These overlapping stations ensure message distribution over a large “FM footprint” which gives Smith the potential to reach the county’s 9,172 citizens in mere seconds.
To receive this potentially life-saving information, citizens and businesses will need purchase an ALERT FM receiver. Receivers are portable, light-weight, and easy to program. They can be purchased at the Hardy Stop & Shop in Eutaw for around $40 with no recurring service.
“ALERT FM provides valuable information to citizens and business of Greene County no matter if they are at home or work or traveling throughout the neighboring coastal counties,” Jim Lowery, general manager of Global Security Systems, LLC (manufacturer of ALERT FM).
For more information visit www.alertfm.com.
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About ALERT FM
ALERT FM is owned and operated by Global Security Systems, LLC (GSS) of Jackson, Miss. It is a personal alert and messaging system that enables state and local government and private sector officials to create and send emergency information to targeted recipients. Potential information includes severe weather warnings, homeland security notices, hurricane evacuation instructions, utility notices, plant or school closings, employee notifications and traffic alerts. First responders, school officials, citizens, and businesses can receive this information based on geographic or organizational groupings through specially designed ALERT FM receivers or any device equipped with a standard FM chip. ALERT FM has been implemented at the university, state, county and multi-county levels. More than 30 million people in 13 states have access to ALERT FM technology.
Greene County AFM announcement release.pdf (72.11 kb)