Location-based emergency notification system company Metis Secure Solutions said this week it has completed a project funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency that was directed by Northrop Grumman to demonstrate the effectiveness of sending emergency alerts using FM RDS.
The 90-day demo, which took place March 8 to June 7 of this year, showed that FM RDS is a viable technology for disseminating emergency information at the state and local level, according to FEMA Integrated Public Alert and Warning System Manager Mark Lucero.
During what Metis is calling an “active” demonstration day in April, the Allegheny County Office of Emergency Management sent an alert to Madelyn Miller, director of Environmental Health and Safety for Carnegie Mellon University. From her office, Miller then issued the alerts from the Web-based Metis software to 26 devices in five locations across Allegheny County, Pa.
There were four tests, with one originated using the new Common Alerting Protocol format that observers expect FEMA to soon adopt.
WDUQ(FM) in Pittsburgh transmitted the FM RDS signal received by the Metis alerting devices.
Each alert activated voice, text, lights and sirens. The alert text was sent in English and Spanish, and the alert voice response was activated in English, Spanish and Korean. Metis said the alerts were delivered within a range of 4.5 and 11 seconds and all of them were received.
