Lafayette County Benefits from ALERT FM Technology
First responders, schools, businesses, and citizens can receive messages
Oxford, Mississippi- February 10, 2010- Lafayette County Emergency Management Agency (LEMA) announced today that the county has added ALERT FM- an FM radio-based emergency notification system-as part of their emergency notification capabilities.
This new system is fully installed and is actively being used by David Shaw, LEMA director, to notify first responders, schools, businesses, and citizens of severe weather and possibly other situations. The system was paid for through a Homeland Security grant.
“We are excited to be using ALERT FM to send Lafayette County citizens up-to-date severe weather warnings and other emergency information,“ Shaw said. “Due to the proactive steps taken by the Board of Supervisors, Lafayette County citizens now have the ability to utilize a portable device that will expand their communications ability to a whole new level in terms of emergency notification.”
Citizens, schools, and businesses are encouraged to purchase an ALERT FM receiver so that they will be able to receive this emergency information from LEMA. Receivers are available at Sneed’s Ace Hardware or at www.alertfm.com for around $40 with no recurring fees after purchase. Receivers are light weight, portable, and easy to program.
LEMA decided to purchase this system because of its unique message transmission. Messages are delivered 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 WMAV (90.3), WBLE(100.5), WZLQ (98.5), and WWMS (97.5). These overlapping stations ensure message distribution over a large “FM footprint” which gives LEMA the potential to reach the county’s 43,922 citizens in mere seconds.
The LEMA system is also fully compatible with the ALERT FM systems implemented in other counties around the Mid-South, Western Tennessee, and across the entire State of Mississippi. Any ALERT FM receiver is fully functional in these areas provided it is programmed for that local area.
“ALERT FM provides valuable information to citizens and business of Lafayette County no matter if they are at home or work or traveling throughout the surrounding counties,” Jim Lowery, general manager of Global Security Systems, LLC.
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.
Lafayette AFM announcement press release.pdf (70.06 kb)