In an emergency, time is of the essence, lives could be at stake and communications are critical. The devastating tornadoes in western Massachusetts last month reminded us all of the importance of an emergency response plan.
A key component of any emergency response plan should be a communications solution to prepare and update residents, family and staff of vital information.
Here are four things that you need to consider when choosing your communications methodology:
1. Multiple staff members must have the ability to develop and send messages from their home, office or anywhere in the world.
2. Messages need to be able to be sent to recipients using redundant, multiple methods — land-lines, cell phones, email and text messaging.
3. Calendar-based messaging allows communications to be developed for delivery at a later date and time — and on a recurring basis if necessary is vital during an emergency.
4. Automated logging and reporting of recipients who did not retrieve or listen to your emergency message immediately identifies community members that may be in trouble or in need further assistance.
Recently, a community using the VoiceFriend solution had a water main break affecting the entire campus. The executive director had a message sent out to the residents and family alerting them to the disaster. A couple of hours later, when the water main was fixed, the executive director sent another message that the water was now safe to use and recommended that residents flush their toilets to remove any residue.
With an appropriate emergency plan and the proper communications service, this community was able to avoid a potentially dangerous situation. So be prepared for emergencies before they happen and develop an emergency plan that includes an automated communications solution.
Bruce Baron is CEO of VoiceFriend, LLC - Innovators in Senior Living Community Communications. For more information, call 781-996-3123.