Seminole County, Florida has purchased and deployed the Roam Secure Alert Network (RSAN™) to give citizens instant access to emergency alerts affecting central Florida. Seminole County residents can now receive free emergency alerts through their e-mail, cell phones, pagers and other wireless devices by signing up at www.alertseminole.org.

“The main reason Roam Secure was selected is because they provide automated text messaging services from the National Weather Service,” said Alan Harris, Operations Manager at the Seminole County Emergency Management Office. In addition, “Seminole County found the system to be user friendly, requiring a minimal amount of training before launching the system.” Roam Secure’s notification systems allow citizens to sign up for alerts quickly and easily using the county’s self-enrollment website which takes citizens through the registration of their email addresses and mobile devices, including cell phones, Blackberries, pagers and PDAs. RSAN™ sends alerts to citizens’ multiple registered devices at a speed of 18,000 messages per minute.

Upon enrollment, citizens will be able to receive vital information as soon as it is available, allowing for time to prepare for an emergency. AlertSeminole will be used to communicate information during all types of emergencies, including major disasters, and currently features emergency weather notifications, evacuation instructions and information about emergency shelters. County officials are also discussing information-sharing and interoperability opportunities with neighboring counties.

Seminole County emergency officials and first responders have already experienced firsthand the benefits of RSAN™ technology, and are pleased to be able to offer this user-friendly emergency alert service to the public. “County first responders have enjoyed the immediate notification of weather systems,” said Harris. “It has allowed us to communicate with first responders more efficiently.” Informed emergency officials, first responders and citizens will make the community better prepared for emergency situations.

After severe tornadoes claimed nearly two dozen lives in three neighboring central Florida counties on February 2, 2007, Seminole County emergency managers met to discuss plans for an alert system that could help protect citizens in the event of another devastating storm. The selection of Roam Secure was a direct result of these discussions. Seminole County is encouraging citizens to take advantage of the free emergency alert service via emergency management preparedness brochures, announcements on the Web and Seminole Government Television. Billboards announcing the service have been placed on major Florida roadways.

“Roam Secure provides the nation’s leading technology for reliable, high-speed alerting to cities, counties, states, universities and communities across the U.S. Our clients in the southeast include the city of New Orleans, Louisiana; Newton County, Mississippi; the city of Orlando, Florida; and Orange County, Florida. We are pleased to offer free emergency alerts to the citizens of Seminole County, and encourage residents to sign up at www.alertseminole.org.

Emergency officials in Seminole County have taken an important step towards protecting and informing citizens in a region that is naturally prone to tornadoes and hurricanes. We look forward to working with them going forward as they explore creative and efficient ways to get information to citizens during all types of emergencies.”