American Red Cross of Central Florida Automates Volunteer Communications With MessageOne's AlertFind
Emergency Notification System Transforms Volunteer Mobilization From Days to Minutes for Crisis Response
Austin, TX – August 30, 2006 – As the 2006 hurricane season continues, MessageOne, Inc. announced today that the American Red Cross of Central Florida has selected and activated its AlertFind emergency notification service to automate the chapter's frequent need for urgent communications to its team of 1,500 on-call volunteers. With the new system in place, the Red Cross Chapter can mobilize volunteers to respond to emergencies in minutes, while it used to require several days of staff making individual phone calls.
“The efficiencies of using AlertFind for our emergency notification have enhanced our ability to respond and serve our communities,” explained Becky Sebren, Director of Emergency Services for the American Red Cross of Central Florida. “With over a thousand volunteers and dozens of incidents requiring response, the need to streamline and automate emergency communications became immediate. We have not only reduced our outgoing communications to volunteers from days to mere minutes, but we have also gained much more effective control of our communications -- allowing us to know the details of who is responding, the county they live in, and to pinpoint volunteers with specific training. Days, hours and minutes really do matter in a crisis situation and now we can make decisions on staffing emergencies quickly and accurately with up-to-date information.”
Emergency Team Improves Response Time
The AlertFind service enables the Red Cross to reach out to thousands of volunteers simultaneously to deliver important messages quickly. With just one phone call or email message to initiate the process, AlertFind automatically sends out thousands of emergency alerts to designated recipients to inform them of the crisis situation and provide instructions for next steps. With AlertFind, the Red Cross not only sends out rapid information, but with the two-way communications feature, they are assured that messages have actually been delivered and acknowledged by the recipients. If the first method of contact does not work, the system automatically tries alternate methods of communications as set by the individual (home phone, cell phone, email, wireless email device, pager, etc.).
Evaluation Leads to Reliable and Easy to Use Solution
“We are proud to be the emergency notification service for the American Red Cross of Central Florida as the work that they do for their community is truly life-saving and life-changing,” said Satin Mirchandani, president and CEO of MessageOne. “We stand by 24-7 to support the agency's emergency services team and provide the world-class quality service our customers know they can rely on from MessageOne.”
About MessageOne
Headquartered in Austin, Texas, MessageOne is the leading provider of managed services for email management, archiving and business continuity. For enterprise email and wireless messaging systems, the company’s Email Management Services (EMS™) provides comprehensive email archiving, storage management and e-Discovery with the total continuity, recovery, and security protection only available from a managed service. In addition, MessageOne’s AlertFind™ provides guaranteed emergency notification and escalation to help companies protect their employees during any crisis or disaster. Millions of users around the world depend on MessageOne for its award-winning managed services.
About the American Red Cross of Central Florida
The American Red Cross, a humanitarian organization led by volunteers and guided by its Congressional Charter and the Fundamental Principles of the International Red Cross Movement, provides relief to the victims of disasters and helps people prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies. The chapter's employees and volunteers provide disaster assistance to an average of one family each day. Every day, the chapter serves as a vital communication link between members of the armed forces and their families in our community. Lifesaving classes such as First Aid/CPR, Automated External Defibrillator Training, Water Safety and HIV/AIDS are available throughout the service area on a regular basis. For more information on your Red Cross, to inquire about becoming a volunteer or to make a contribution, please contact the American Red Cross of Central Florida at (407) 894-4141 or visit http://centralflorida.redcross.org.
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For more media information, contact:
Paul D'Arcy
Phone: 512-652-4500
Email: paul_darcy@messageone.com
Kirstan Ryan
Phone: 512-652-4500
Email: kirstan_ryan@messageone.com
