MAYNARD — Town Administrator Greg Johnson announces that the Town of Maynard has chosen a new alert system to help keep residents better informed during local emergencies.
The new emergency alert system, Hyper-Reach, replaces the previous Maynard Blackboard system. It will provide rapid notification of hazardous and urgent situations using a mix of telephone calls, text and email messages, and even TTY/TDD service for the hearing impaired.
The system is capable of sending thousands of messages to geographically targeted households in seconds, and can simultaneously deliver them to an even broader audience via social media. It can also send broadcast messages to most modern mobile telephones (made since 2011) in an affected area by providing access to FEMA’s Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) system.
“Our job is to protect the citizens of the Town of Maynard and keep them informed as effectively and cost-effectively as possible.” said Fire Chief and Emergency Management Director Anthony Stowers. “We reviewed Hyper-Reach as a potential emergency notification service for Maynard, and their system gave us everything we needed at a competitive price. We’re really excited about this improved system.”
The town plans to use the service in the same way it utilized the previous system, primarily for alerts about weather and environmental hazards, public safety and missing persons. Landline phone numbers are automatically enrolled for community alerts. In order to receive updates on mobile phones by email, as well as weather alerts to landline phones, residents must enroll. Residents and people who work in the Town of Maynard are encouraged to enroll now either by calling or texting “Alert” to (978) 307-8700 or by going to the website http://hyper-reach.com/mamaynardsignup.html. There is also a link from the town’s web page.
Residents can also download the Hyper-Reach Anywhere app on their smartphone. Hyper-Reach Anywhere is a free smartphone app that allows individuals to manage and monitor the alerts they receive, both for their home and office addresses and for other important addresses, such as those of elderly relatives or friends.
“We’re honored to have been selected by the Town of Maynard to provide its emergency alerts,” said Sam Asher, President of Hyper-Reach. “It’s gratifying to be part of an effort to keep residents informed, save lives and protect property and we take that responsibility very seriously.”
About the Maynard Emergency Management Agency
The Maynard Emergency Management Agency (EMA) is the Town agency responsible for coordinating federal, state, local, volunteer, and private resources during emergencies and disasters in the Town of Maynard. Emergency Management develops plans for effective response to all-hazards, disasters or threats, trains emergency personnel and volunteers to protect the public, provides information to residents, and assists individuals, families, and businesses to mitigate against, prepare for, and respond to and recover from emergencies, both natural and manmade.
The Emergency Management Director (EMD) serves as the Chairman of the Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC). The LEPC is the planning side of the Town’s department-wide response to emergencies. The Maynard EMA continued using the state’s web-based emergency management communications system, WebEOC, to provide real-time information sharing during natural and man-made incidents. The EMD worked closely with staff from the MEMA Region 1 Office in Tewksbury and Framingham Headquarters. In addition, staff attended several Local Directors Meetings and various stakeholder meetings/trainings throughout the state.
About Hyper-Reach
Hyper-Reach (www.hyper-reach.com) is a mass notification system with over 15 years of experience in emergency messaging. Hyper-Reach sends messages via automated telephone calls, text messaging (SMS), email, and social media, such as Twitter. Other uses of Hyper-Reach include Amber alerts, toxic chemical warnings, and armed shooter alerts. In addition to 911 centers, Hyper-Reach is used by law enforcement, educational institutions, and corporations.
For more information about Hyper-Reach, go to www.hyper-reach.com.
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