Network-based emergency notification systems

Factual Questions
1

We are considering adding some sort of system to our network that we could use to facilitate a building evacuation or a shelter-in-place… something that would pop up on all user’s screens, prefereably with an audible sound as well, that has a customizeable message … “Evacuate the Building!” “Proceed to the tenth floor hallway!” “Affix gas masks!” etc etc.

How do these things usually work? Is there a requirement for a client piece to run on all the machines that polls a central server, or can I “push” out an alarm? Is this somethign that we’d have to have custom written, or are there COTS packages?

2

What is the configuration of your network ?

Windows machines have a command called “net send” that can do this for you with very little effort.

Go to the command prompt and type:

C:>net send /?

for more help.

3

You probably could use MSN messenger or Yahoo messenger , both have the ability to use custom sounds. Instead of having the users own personal account , a specific company account could be set up , allowing the sys-admin to send out a global message to all on the master list.

Declan

4

Two problems: one, we’re not running Messenger on the client side. Two, there’s no configurable sound with messenger pop-ups.

5

Wouldn’t it be much simpler to just use the building PA system to make an announcement?

And more accurate, too. What about people working at home but logged onto your network – they’d get the popup saying to evacuate, also.

Even if your building doesn’t have a built-in PA system, you could probably install one for less then you’d spend on this system.

6

In case of an evacuation it would be very important to reach people who were away from their workstations (in meetings for example) and to continue to give information to people who had already left their desks. So a PA system would be much better than a network message. Also, what if the emergency rendered the network inoperative? (My office’s network went down all the time and it’s not hard to imagine scenarios that would bring down the network or interrupt power.)

‘Affix gas masks!’ – they give out gas masks in your office, but you don’t have a PA system? =) They never even got around to giving our fire warden a flashlight and plastic hat.