These days, much of the conversation with regards to emergency communications seems to focus entirely on social media, smartphones and other more exciting new technologies.  Consequently, many of the more traditional modes of emergency warning have been crowded out of the discussion.  Outdoor sirens, which many communities continue to employ across the full spectrum of emergency alerts and warnings, are a good example.

Over the past month Public Safety officials in Minnesota, Nebraska, Kansas, Alabama and other states across the Midwest and South have been preparing citizens for the spring tornado season by promoting week-long programs focusing on the dangers of severe weather. In addition to emphasizing the risks to citizens, programs such as Iowa's Severe Weather Awareness Week (April 2-6) provide information on the precautions and actions people can take to protect themselves against tornadoes, violent thunderstorms and flooding.

Emergency planners are familiar with the "cry wolf" phenomenon that severely inhibits the effectiveness of tornado warnings.  And there are few better examples of this phenomenon than the EF-5 twister that devastated Joplin, MO in the spring of 2011.

When we launched EMComm one year ago we had no idea that 2011 would be such a benchmark year in emergency communications/mass notification and disaster preparedness.  And we're confident that as a professional in the field of emergency management you probably see it the same way.

From Federal Signal's 2011 Public Safety Survey we learned 77% of Americans feel that additional community resources/communications would effectively increase public safety awareness.   With community outreach programs such as their Basic/Advanced Tornado and Severe Weather Spotters Class, it is clear the Kenosha County (Wisconsin) Emergency Management office shares that very same view expressed by so many citizens.

No doubt sparked by all the pre-Oscar hoopla, the Center for Disease Control's (CDC) Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response recently decided to turn its attention to disaster movies to see if there is anything to be learned. 

The thing about money is that there never seems like there's enough of it.  That's especially true when it comes to fully equipping emergency agency staff and volunteers with everything they need to respond effectively to any disaster.  Perhaps that's also why we're always hearing about new and unique fundraising ideas, like the Saint Patrick's Day Shamrock 5k/10k walk/run sponsored by the Emergency Management Agency (DCEMA) of Delaware County, IN.

When a crisis breaks, the last thing you want to be doing is search around for support documents such as call lists for emergency personnel, site maps, resource lists for special equipment and supplies, etc.  And this is just as true for industrial production/processing plants, large retail business and institutional facilities as it is for public safety agencies.

Looking back at disasters ranging from Hurricane Katrina to the mega-quake/tsunami that devastated Japan last March, it's hard to overlook how SMS (Short Message Service) has displayed its value in emergency communications.  That's why it comes as no surprise that government agencies at all levels are looking to make text messaging an important part of their communication strategies.

If 2011 seemed to you like a particularly bad year for extreme weather, you weren't alone.   And now with the release of their annual analysis of U.S. and global weather conditions, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has confirmed that 2011 did in fact break all records for climate extremes.  This in turn led to historic levels of heat, precipitation, flooding and severe weather.