Putting the word out in an emergency to the people who need it the most always has been a challenge for local authorities. Technologies are now available to make their job easier. A partnership between Northrop Grumman Corp. and Global Security Systems will allow rapid communication via cell phones, GPS platforms, music players and comparable machines.
Northrop Grumman now manages the emergency information technology infrastructure in 80 cities. The GSS Alert FM system, meanwhile, relies on a frequency modulated chip that can be inserted in most consumer devices. It permits users to receive weather info, homeland security alarms, local alerts and other time-sensitive intelligence.
This combined system permits everyone from the president to state and local leaders to communicate with first responders and the public “in the event of a war; natural disaster; or national regional or local emergency,” a spokesman says.