GenAlert for 911 calls

[husker0910]

Has anyone used the GenAlert product from Genesis Systems for a 3rd party 911 alerting tool? We currently have the LENS Alert product through eTelemetry but they appear to have went out of business and we can't get support. We have a quote for GenAlert but I am curious how it receives the 911 information. The LENS product uses an SNMP trap but Genesis doesn't recommend that because it is UDP. The GenAlert server will be a virtual server on our network.

 

[Tman45]

Interesting - I did not know about GenAlert - we just use OSN (OnSiteNotification) via the PBX.

 

[husker0910]

When a 911 call is made, we get screen pops from a client loaded on the PC. It will always pop in front of any application we have open. And it gives an audible alert and the window pop "shakes" until the user acknowledges it. It will also send emails to anyone who wants to be alerted to a 911 call. The call still goes to the local PSAP but this gives us a local alert so we can mobilize our local emergency response team, who will then be there to meet the Fire/Police/EMT, and allows us to do basic first aid (CPR, etc) until the local EMTs arrive on site. The new GenAlert will do the same thing but will also send text messages (which helps because we are all becoming more mobile).

 

[Tman45]

Yeah it sounds interesting. Our security post is staffed 24x7 so we request that employees call that first before calling 911. I have told security it is 'law' that 911 is called first because operators have emergency training that employees usually don't have. However, we can 'legally' get around that since we have 24x7 staffing.
I may look into GenAlert or something similar in the future. Probably when we are required to have E(Enhanced)-911 since we have multiple locations and floors.