Southeastern Pennsylvania Emergency Text Alert System Launched

April 4, 2008 — ReadyNotifyPA, an emergency text messaging service that will keep the public informed during a crisis in Southeastern Pennsylvania, was launched today at a regional press conference at the National Constitution Center. Mayor Michael Nutter, was joined by Bucks and Montgomery County Commissioner Chairs Jim Cawley and James R. Matthews, along with Delaware County Council Vice Chair John J. Whelan, encouraging the public to sign up for ReadyNotifyPA to receive critical information during emergencies.

“Providing information to the public as quickly as possible is one of the most crucial factors in saving lives and preventing injuries during an emergency,” said Mayor Nutter. “I am proud to be here today with my esteemed colleagues from across the region to announce a public warning system that will greatly enhance emergency response in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties.”

ReadyNotifyPA is a system that allows local officials to send E-mail or text messages to cell phones, BlackBerries, pagers or other E-mail enabled devices during an emergency.

There are two ways to sign up, by visiting www.ReadyNotifyPA.org or by entering a text message on your cell phone.

Through www.ReadyNotifyPA.org, you can customize your subscriptions and choose the types of alerts–such as severe weather alerts, transportation delays and crime information–that you wish to receive.

Or, use rapid enrollment. Just text your county code to 411911 using your cellular device. The county codes are BUCKS, CHESCO, DELCO, MONTCO and PHILA. It’s that easy. Emergency alerts will be automatically sent to the devices that you signed up.

“Signing up for ReadyNotifyPA is easy to do. This one simple step can be your lifeline to critical information that can help you protect your family during an emergency. Don’t put it off. Sign up today,” urged Carol Aichele, Chester County Board of Commissioners
Chairman.

The Southeastern Pennsylvania Regional Task Force is responsible for implementing ReadyNotifyPA, a free service funded by the Task Force through a grant from the U. S. Department of Homeland Security; however, standard text messaging rates may apply.

The Southeastern Pennsylvania Regional Task Force continues to foster regional cooperation, coordination and collaboration among our first responders. This past year several regional efforts spearheaded by the Task Force have come to fruition -- from the christening of a new fire boat to the purchase of new emergency response vehicles used by the Red Cross.

Southeastern Pennsylvania region is critical to the nation’s transportation, manufacturing, petrochemical, medical, aerospace, information technology, shipbuilding, and agriculture industries and is home for many academic, historical and cultural institutions. The region has some of the nation’s largest sports and festival venues, drawing large concentrations of people and is home to many of the nation’s true icons—the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, Valley Forge, and more. “Our region is an economic and tourist hub with nearly 3.5 million people who live, work and play here,” Matthews said. “This new emergency text alerting system will help us get critical information to those we serve throughout the region in a timely manner. Keeping the region informed will only enhance our efforts to maintain stability throughout the region when an emergency occurs.”
“Whether we are dealing with floods, winter storms, or threats to homeland security, emergencies don’t stop at our borders. Implementing a public warning system that transcends county lines will make our region better prepared for any kind of emergency,” said Council Member John J. Whelan.
ReadyNotifyPA is a service of Ready Region, a public education program introduced to Southeastern Pennsylvania in 2006. Ready Region educates the public about being prepared for any kind of emergency, such as having a minimum of three days of supplies on hand if basic services such as water, gas, electricity or telephones are cut off.

Commissioner Cawley praised the programs’ corporate sponsors and partners for their support. “This is a vital public warning system and we want to thank our partners for promoting it and encouraging folks to sign up,” said Cawley. “Whether they are offering help with the Ready website, designing Ready materials, providing the use of digital billboards, helping to promote and distribute ReadyNotifyPA materials, we are once again amazed of the region-wide support our public information and community outreach efforts for emergency preparedness.”

Ready NotifyPA is powered by the Roam Secure Alert Network™ (RSAN) from Cooper Notification. Cooper has deployed other RSAN systems in major metropolitan areas across the country including the National Capital Regions (the Washington, D.C. metro area), New Orleans, San Francisco and Central Florida.
“Telephone systems, both cellular and hard line, are built to handle a certain capacity. These systems can become quickly overwhelmed during a crisis,” said David Drescher, General Manager - Roam Secure. “Callers may hear a fast busy signal or an ‘all circuits are busy now’ message. Cooper Notification’s Roam Secure Alert Network™ uses text-based alerting because it is less vulnerable to disruption. Text uses a part of the cell phone network that is allocated for data only, so it isn’t competing with voice to reach the recipient’s handset.”

About the Task Force

The Southeastern Pennsylvania Regional Task Force was formed in 1998 in response to a growing awareness of the threat of terrorism. The Emergency Management Coordinators of the five counties (Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia) make up the Executive Board which leads the Task Force. In recent years, the Task Force’s focus has broadened to include all hazards such as natural disasters. The Task Force works to prevent, prepare for, respond to and recover from catastrophic disasters.

About Cooper Notification

Cooper Notification, a platform of Cooper Industries, Ltd., is comprised of several businesses that have decades of experience and innovation in the development of high quality products and solutions. With the ever present need to protect, alert and inform, Cooper Notification is focused on meeting the growing demand for personnel and property safety. We are the source for notification solutions including Roam Secure personal and regional alerting, Wheelock fire and security notification appliances and devices, SAFEPATH and WAVES voice evacuation and mass notification systems, and Wheelock and MEDC industrial signaling. For more information, visit www.coopernotification.com.