New ENS Provides Ohio City with Fast, Accurate Alerts

An emergency notification system (ENS) is frequently used by cities and towns to deliver important messages to large groups of constituents. This type of system also sends notifications via multiple contact paths, ensuring that message recipients can quickly respond in emergencies.

In Lyndhurst, Ohio, business operators and residents can now enjoy the benefits of a world-class ENS that delivers fast, accurate alerts. According to the Sun Star Courier, Lyndhurst recently upgraded its ENS to a system that allows city dispatchers to notify the entire community in minutes.

Mike Carroll, Fire Chief of the Lyndhurst Fire Department, said that the ENS is customizable, which makes it valuable for the city. Because local officials will be able to send alerts to citizens in specific areas, these administrators can ensure that the right people are consistently receiving the right message at the right time.

The News-Herald reports that Lyndhurst chose the system for several reasons, including its ease of use. “The cost and time it took to get out notifications on the old system was out of date,” Carroll added. “The new system can alert the entire community in five to 10 minutes.”

Meanwhile, the Lyndhurst Fire Department plans to optimize its use of the new ENS. Department leaders are already looking for ways to tailor the system to specific residents and non-published phone numbers.

Citizen opt-in is quick and simple as well. Carroll noted that residents can go to the city’s website or pick up a paper application to sign up to receive phone calls, text messages, and email notifications, which ensures that citizens of all ages can get alerts through a wide variety of contact paths.

“We have a large elderly population and we want to make sure all of our residents have access to the notifications. We knew we couldn’t rely only on email and text messages,” Carroll said.