By Rhonda Spears
June 23, 2003

During the June 8 plenary session, George Heinrichs, President and CEO of Intrado addressed mayors about the critical role communications play in keeping communities safe and informed in crisis'situations. Intrado is the national caretaker of the United States 9-1-1 emergency operating system. Heinrichs stated, "The ability to communicate is the most important weapon in anti-terrorism today." Heinrichs expressed the abilities of Intrado's IntelliCast Notification System in quickly and accurately dispensing alerts, information, and instructions to citizens during potential threats, utilizing phone lines already in place.

Heinrich's presentation opened with an excerpt of a 9-1-1-emergency call placed by a young girl, alerting authorities to an intruder in her home. The young girl never related her address to the dispatcher, but because of technological advances, the victims were located. Heinrichs continued to point out that, "the best homeland defense is right at our fingertips, and it's been around for more than 100 years". The defense is the telephone. According to Heinrichs, communications is a "common'sense weapon in the battle against terrorism" that is often overlooked. Advances in telephony make the device capable for implementation into cities' safety measures now.

Heinrichs noted that terrorism is not the only threat to cities. Natural disasters, prison emergencies, child abduction, and other acts of violence prove to be potential sources of alarm for communities. Emergency notification systems such as Amber Alerts and the Emergency Broadcast System are designed to deal with specific emergencies, but they are limited in scope and hindered by the time it takes to get these systems up and running. "The phone allows public safety officials to address all threats quickly and efficiently, reaching thousands of affected residents directly in only a few minutes time."

Intrado's IntelliCast Emergency Notification system utilizes the phone in alerting citizens and officials to potential threats. The system employs phone lines to advise and direct citizens. Heinrichs noted that the system is already deployed in communities, both large and small, across the country. Mr. Heinrichs remarked that in any crisis, the ability to proactively get information to those that need to know must be a pillar of any mayor's safe city strategy. IntelliCast's use of accurate, up to date 9-1-1 information creates a high level of effectiveness in emergencies. "The flow of information becomes a two-way proposition." Furthermore, Heinrichs reminded mayors, "local city governments drove the creation of 9-1-1, to empower citizens with instant access to emergency services and personal". Now, mayors are faced with a new opportunity to lead the way with improved information sharing for citizens, officials, and first responders.

In closing, Heinrichs shared with mayors that protecting cities from all possible threats requires broader thinking. Doing so within current fiscal restraints is a difficult task. However, "the mega-investments in telephony have already been made, and the phone is proven, tested, and ubiquitous. By leveraging the phone as the central tool in a back-to-basics approach to emergency notification, you can better protect your communities without significantly busting your budget."

For more information about the Intrado or IntelliCast Target Notification System, please call Lilla Hammond at 301-460-5251 or send email to lhammond@usmayors.org.