Twenty First Century to Provide Mass Notification System for LA County

Twenty First Century Communications, Inc. (TFCC) a provider of emergency notification and other on-demand alerting and call answering services, has announced that Los Angeles County selected the company to provide emergency mass notification services to residents and businesses.

 

TFCC’s high volume call handling system allows organizations to place thousands of calls within minutes.

TFCC uses multi-modal communication systems including emergency voice, text and email messages leveraging the telephone database and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology. It can also detect and communicate with Telecommunication Devices for the Deaf (TTY/TDD).

Communication of time-sensitive and critical messages warning residents about wildfires, floods and other disasters which may occur in Los Angeles County is made possible with the offering.

Henry Balta, Senior Associate CIO for Los Angeles County, said, “TFCC’s mass notification system will be used to send messages to residents affected by a particular incident. Typically, emergencies are regionalized and we will use the system to reach out to residents and businesses in affected areas.”

 

TFCC processes calls for several utilities in the U.S. serving almost 85 million phone numbers across the country.

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors said it has planned to spend about $2 million on the mass notification system which includes the implementation and purchase of 911 data from local telephone companies.

County officials will identify affected areas using TFCC’s advanced online GIS-mapping system which can generate a list of contacts within the area. Messages can be sent over multiple channels like landlines, call phones, email, text messages and TTY.

 

Also, a Web page will provided by the county to allow residents to sign up to receive messages on other devices like a mobile phone, VoIP phone, email and or via text.

“Los Angeles County joins a growing list of public safety and government agencies that rely on TFCC for rapid, reliable crisis communications every day,” said James Kennedy, CEO of Twenty First Century Communications, Inc.

TFCC has already implemented such mass notification systems for San Diego, Riverside, Monterey and Del Norte counties. Organizations like American Red Cross and the Washington, D.C. Emergency Management Agency also use this system.