Victims of a disaster often turn to their house of worship to find a safe haven.

The Faith-based Organization Disaster Initiative Workshop will give religious organizations in Audrain County the tools to prepare their members for emergencies.

The workshop will be held from 8:30 a.m. to noon on Thursday, May 31, 2012 in the Community Room at the Audrain County Courthouse, 101 North Jefferson Street, Mexico, Missouri.

The workshop’s purpose is to:

• Provide resources and emergency preparedness information to faith-based organizations.
• Provide support to groups that choose to help in times of disaster through sheltering operations, feeding and other disaster response efforts.
• Build relationships and prepare for a joint faith-based/emergency management response.

Participants will receive materials, resources and training information on: personal and family preparedness; developing continuity of operation plans for the organization; running or supporting shelter operations; safe food handling and feeding; and operating a volunteer reception center or donation site.

The workshop is sponsored by the Faith-Based Organization Disaster Initiative, Region F Regional Homeland Security Oversight Committee (RHSOC), Audrain County Emergency Management, and the American Red Cross Heart of Missouri Chapter.

Participants are asked to pre-register by calling 573-473-5892 or e-mailing emd@audraincounty.org.

This is one of the most important pieces of information the telecommunicator needs to send help. They ask for the location first because if they know where the emergency is located then they can send help if you get disconnected; even if they don’t know what type of emergency there is.

When calling 9-1-1, take note of your surroundings. The best way to tell the telecommunicator where the emergency is located is by providing an address, but if you don’t know the address then tell them what you do know. Describe the location by landmarks (nearby parks, businesses, signs, etc.), cross streets, nearby addresses, description of the house/building, etc. This will help them determine where the emergency is located so they can send the appropriate responders.

Knowing the location is especially important when calling 9-1-1 from a cell phone. Audrain County’s E-911 System is capable of receiving an approximate location from the cellular phone carriers, but it does not get an exact location. This system, known as Phase II Wireless E-911, locates cell phones by GPS signals from the phone or through tower triangulation (depending on the carrier and the phone’s location). However, this often places the phone within a 300 meter (about 1,000 feet) radius of a suggested address on our map so it is very important to tell the telecommunicator where the emergency is located.

Citizens and Businesses Can Sign Up to Receive Critical Alerts During Emergencies

Audrain County MO – April 20, 2012 – Audrain County will begin using Everbridge Aware™ for Citizen Alerts, an emergency notification system provided by Everbridge, the leading emergency notification system provider, to communicate with thousands of businesses and residents in minutes in an emergency.

The County along with participating Cities and Agencies will be able to alert residents about severe weather, fires, floods, toxic environmental issues and other emergencies using Everbridge Aware for Citizen Alerts. Messages can be sent to residents on any communication path desired – cell phone, home phone, email, text messaging, fax, pager, PDA and more – ensuring that residents and employees receive life-saving emergency information and important public service announcements in minutes. Citizens listed in the public telephone directory (white pages) will be automatically subscribed to alerts by landline phone, though any citizen may self-register, provide additional contact information or opt out. In addition, the County plans to use the Everbridge system to notify residents about other important activities, such as road closures, Public Health issues and water utility maintenance to name a few.

“We have a commitment to our citizens to protect them from any danger that threatens our community. The ability to reach all residents quickly during an emergency to warn them and provide guidance is critical to upholding that commitment, which is why we are rolling out Everbridge Aware for Citizen Alerts,” said Steven Shaw, Director of the County Emergency Management Agency. “The Everbridge emergency notification system ensures the County will be able to react accurately and efficiently in a natural disaster or other crisis.”

Jaime Ellertson, CEO of Everbridge, commented, “A robust emergency notification system is an essential tool for cities that need to notify thousands of residents and businesses rapidly and efficiently during an emergency. Everbridge is proud to have been chosen by Audrain County as a critical component of its emergency response plan.”

To sign up for emergency alerts, please visit http://www.audraincounty.org or http://www.audrain911.org.
 

About Audrain County
Located in central Missouri, Audrain County is a mix of productive farms, rural enterprises, manufacturing companies, bio-fuel refining, education and the best of mid-western towns. Known as the Bio-Fuel Capital of Missouri, Audrain County has become a leader in this rapidly growing industry and is leading the way in Disaster Preparedness in rural Missouri.

In addition, Audrain County and the City of Mexico have welcomed the Missouri Plant Science Center to our region. The Plant Science Center is a joint venture between the University of Missouri-Columbia, the Missouri Technology Corporation, the City of Mexico and applied industrial agricultural companies. It is anchored by a research driven private nutraceutical company supplying next generation soy-based ingredients for health science products.

Audrain County has approximately 26,000 people in eight municipalities. Our largest town, Mexico, population 11,320, is the county seat. Governance of Audrain County is performed by a County Commission.
 

About Everbridge (formerly 3n Global)
Everbridge, the world’s recognized leader in incident notification systems, merges technology with industry expertise to help millions of people communicate in a crisis, manage operational incidents and connect on a daily basis. The company’s notification platform and incident lifecycle communications model makes communicating to many as simple and effective as communicating to one. Organizations in more than 100 countries—including the State of Connecticut, Salesforce.com, AirTran Airways, the American Red Cross, and Virginia Tech—rely on Everbridge for their emergency notification and day-to-day communication needs. For more information about Everbridge, visit www.everbridge.com

Contact:
pr@everbridge.com
Everbridge, Inc.
818.230.9700

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ATTENTION: Good news for Audrain County Citizens,

On Friday, April 20, Audrain County and it’s Emergency Management Partners will be rolling out the Community Notification System “Everbridge.”

This system will enable communities and local agencies to send out severe weather notifications and other emergency announcements to citizens and businesses in the county and towns via landline phone, cell phone, text messaging, e-mail, faxes, and even TTY/TDD. This system is 100% free to Audrain County citizens, and gives citizens the ability to “opt-in or opt-out” of the notifications based on their needs and wants.

Watch for more on this system to include instructions for signing up for this service coming out in the next few days.

Questions can be directed to Steven Shaw at the Emergency Management Agency: 573-473-5892 or e-mail at emd@audraincounty.org.

In April 2005, Audrain County’s residents approved a sales tax to replace the telephone surcharge as the funding mechanism for the County’s 911 service. This created the Audrain County Emergency Services Board to oversee the Joint Communications Center and administer the funding generated by the sales tax. The increased funding allowed for an upgrade to the 911 equipment in March 2007. These upgrades were necessary to keep current with the latest technology available, and to allow cellular telephone and VoIP users access to the 911 system. The new 911 system gave dispatchers quicker access to a caller’s telephone and address data, and introduced a mapping system to automatically plot emergency calls on a map. The map gives dispatchers immediate access to the caller’s location and allows them to provide directions to emergency personnel; previously, dispatchers had to look up addresses on the map manually to provide directions to emergency responders.

In July 2009, Audrain County’s E-911 system completed the process required to accept Phase II Wireless 911 calls from all cellular providers serving Audrain County. Phase II allows dispatchers to see the address of the cellular telephone tower providing service to a 911 caller’s mobile phone, their callback telephone number, and an estimated location of the phone based on GPS or triangulation technologies. This has greatly improved service to Audrain County’s residence as wireless 911 calls continue to increase annually; making up about 67% of 911 calls in Audrain County in 2011.

The most common complaint heard from 911 callers is that the operators are asking too many questions instead of sending help. In reality, help is rarely delayed by this questioning because another telecommunicator is able to dispatch the appropriate personnel while the call-taker gathers the information.

The questioning is also very important because it helps the telecommunicators determine when pre-arrival instructions are appropriate, so help can be provided before the responders arrive. Audrain County E-911 Joint Communications uses the National Academies of Emergency Dispatch‘s Medical Priority Dispatch System to ensure that medical emergency calls are processed with the highest level of care. This internationally recognized and trusted, professional emergency medical call-taking protocol helps the telecommunicators provide care to patients with a zero-minute response time by providing lifesaving instructions over the phone, when appropriate. Pre-arrival instructions may include: CPR/AED, Heimlich Maneuver, bleeding control, and child birth.

On April 11, 2011 at about 4:00 p.m., Mexico Public Schools and Mexico Public Safety will be coordinating a county wide active shooter exercise. The exercise will simulate what could occur if a person or people were in MHS shooting guns. Participants in the exercise include Joint Communications, Audrain County Sheriff’s Office, MSHP, Audrain Ambulance District, Little Dixie Fire Protection, the Audrain County Emergency Management Director, area churches, AMC, and other county agencies and schools. This is part of the ongoing effort by Audrain County agencies to work together and keep the community safe.

The 911 emergency telephone system was developed for the United States in 1967 as a way for the public to quickly communicate a call for emergency assistance. The system has been upgraded many times over the years.

Enhanced 911 (E-911) systems automatically forward emergency calls made to the telephone number 911 to a communications center that will dispatch help. E-911 computer software and special telephone lines link the telephone company to the communications center. The telephone company maintains a database of information with the name, address and special notations about the people registered as the residents at each phone number location. This information is automatically displayed to the personnel at the communications center on a computer monitor when a 911 call comes in. The names of the appropriate emergency response agencies (law enforcement, fire, and emergency medical services) are also shown.

An employee error during the activation resulted in the incorrect siren sequence being activated. The employee mistakenly activated the “Tornado Warning” sequence instead of the “Test” sequence. However, the sirens are functioning properly.

Please stay aware of the weather as there is the potential for rain and thunderstorms this afternoon and evening.

Some examples of when to call 911 include:

• When you see a fire.
• When you see or smell smoke.
• When you or someone you know is in danger.
• When you see a crime is being committed or has just occurred.
• When you believe that an ambulance is needed because someone is hurt or sick.
• When someone is trying to break into your house.
• When someone suspicious is prowling around your house or your neighbor’s house.
• When a child is approached by a stranger.