January 31, 2012
Department of Homeland Security
The USCG Auxiliary has chosen
Everbridge as it’s rapid
notification service for both
emergency and non-emergency
communications.
January 31, 2012
Department of Homeland Security
2
• Everbridge is the leading provider of Emergency
Notification Systems (ENS).
• Everbridge is used by many schools, fire
departments, and federal, state and local
government agencies, including the
Departments of Defense and Homeland
Security.
January 31, 2012
Department of Homeland Security
3
• Everbridge is a tool to allow Auxiliary
leadership to rapidly and easily reach
members for both routine and emergency
communications.
• We can use it for:
• Standard notices (meetings, reminders, etc.)
• Emergency notices regarding major incidents
• Personnel Accountability after major incidents
January 31, 2012
Department of Homeland Security
4
• To easily send important messages to
either all or selected groups of 5NR
Auxiliarists.
• To quickly send emergency messages to
ALL 5NR Auxiliarists.
• To account for and deploy members in the
aftermath of major incidents.
January 31, 2012
Department of Homeland Security
5
• Previously, the Auxiliary’s emergency
communications were hindered by timeconsuming, manual one-by-one calling trees.
• Our diverse membership required an additional
method of reaching Auxiliarists in emergency
situations.
• Individual preferences must be recognized and
accommodated.
January 31, 2012
Department of Homeland Security
6
January 31, 2012
Department of Homeland Security
7
– The system can make contacts at a rate of about 100,000 per hour.
– In optimum conditions, we can contact all 5NR Auxiliarists in about 90
seconds.
– Everbridge records each contact, whether successful or not.
– Members can be prompted to confirm receipt, or respond to questions.
– The most effective messaging isn’t created in the midst of an
emergency.
– Messages can be planned and pre-recorded for use during incidents.
January 31, 2012
Department of Homeland Security
8
Regular
Polling
Quota
January 31, 2012
• Most common.
• Simply delivers the message.
• With or without confirmation.
• Delivers message and asks for feedback.
• Message requests participation.
• After sufficient confirmations, the system
automatically informs others that the
quota has been reached.
9
• Notifies you in the event of an emergency in the
5NR, or
• Provides you with important, non-emergency
notices from your District, Division or Flotilla.
This is important in order to ensure that the Auxiliary can
contact you in an emergency, as well as receive
feedback from you regarding your safety, your status
and your ability to respond if called upon by the Coast
Guard.
January 31, 2012
Department of Homeland Security
10
Let’s define:
• Your contact methods can be via email and/or
telephone.
• Your contact information is your actual email
address or phone numbers.
Your contact methods are chosen in Everbridge.
Your contact information is updated in AUXDATA.
January 31, 2012
Department of Homeland Security
11
You can limit the contact information Everbridge
gets from AUXDATA, but you can’t change it or
add to it in Everbridge.
Currently, our contact methods are:
15%
• Email
• Home Phone 50%
35%
• Cell Phone
Which methods are the most effective?
January 31, 2012
Department of Homeland Security
12
• You have the option of choosing your contact
methods, their priority and whether or not to
receive emergency and/or non-emergency
messages.
• Simply have your Flotilla Commander arrange to
make any changes for you.
• Or, you may decide to accept the defaults and make
no changes at all.
• Its your choice.
January 31, 2012
Department of Homeland Security
13
• You can change the order, or delete any contact method
in Everbridge.
• Homes with more than one Auxiliarist may wish to opt
out of Everbridge for all contact methods for the
duplicate member(s). This will limit unnecessary,
redundant contacts.
•
If your business number is answered by a machine, or
an attendant who might not know who the message is
for, you may wish to have that contact method deleted.
January 31, 2012
Department of Homeland Security
14
If you have Caller ID on you phone, you may see:
On the display.
That way you’ll know its from the 5NR.
January 31, 2012
Department of Homeland Security
15
When receiving an Everbridge phone message,
always wait until the voice says “Goodbye”.
Confirming receipt (if prompted) will halt further
contact attempts.
You can override your Contact Paths
(or even choose not to be contacted at all.)
Your FC can handle Everbridge changes for
you.
January 31, 2012
Department of Homeland Security
16
If we can’t contact you,
we can’t alert you as to
the emergency.
January 31, 2012
Department of Homeland Security
17
January 31, 2012
Department of Homeland Security
18
• Future incidents may affect certain areas of the 5NR, but not
others. A particular Division’s ability to use the system may
be critical in that event.
• Beginning in 2012, the 5NR Everbridge system will fall under
the Communication Services (CS) program in the 5NR.
• While the Division Groups will still be under the direction of
the DCDR, your Division’s SO-CS will soon be trained in the
operation of the Everbridge system.
January 31, 2012
19
• Bad phone numbers in AUXDATA may go to the public.
•
Review your profile information in AUXDATA.
• Multiple voice mails may be left.
• Multiple emails, too.
•
But they usually aren’t a big problem.
• The electronic voice may be difficult to understand.
• Only your confirmation will stop the system before it’s normal
conclusion.
January 31, 2012
Department of Homeland Security
20
• Everbridge won’t give up trying to contact you until you either confirm
receipt or it reaches the chosen number of “cycles”.
• We determine the number of cycles, depending on the importance of the
communication.
• Each cycle consists of one of each contact method (home, cell, email)
• Standard notices might consist of just one cycle.
• Emergency and critical communications may consist of up to six cycles,
usually spaced about an hour apart.
January 31, 2012
Department of Homeland Security
21
• The system will stop all subsequent contacts as soon as you
“confirm” receipt of the message.
• You can confirm via a live phone call or email.
• You cannot confirmed via Voice Mail message.
January 31, 2012
Department of Homeland Security
22
• You can choose to use Everbridge as it’s set up.
–
The great majority of Auxiliarists do.
• You can limit contact methods as you see fit.
• You can limit all contact methods (in other words, withdraw
from the Everbridge system entirely.)
It’s up to you.
January 31, 2012
Department of Homeland Security
23
• You can choose any or all contact methods.
• If you choose to block all contact methods, you will not be
contacted by the Everbridge system.
• Those who cannot be contacted by Everbridge may have to
be contacted personally via an Auxiliary officer, depending
upon the situation at the time.
• In an “Accountability” exercise or incident, you will have to be
contacted personally.
January 31, 2012
Department of Homeland Security
24
• I have a child or an invalid parent who might be distressed by
the phone calls.
• My voice mailbox has a limited capacity, and may become
overloaded and unavailable for other important voicemail
messages.
• I have a rotary phone.
January 31, 2012
Department of Homeland Security
25
• I don’t want it to ring while I’m in a meeting.
• I don’t want it to ring while I’m driving.
• I can’t tell who is calling, so I don’t know who to call back.
• Remember, we use 555-555-5555 as Caller ID. You can then
contact your Flotilla Commander for information.
January 31, 2012
Department of Homeland Security
26
• Our electronic voice may be difficult to understand, especially
for those who are hearing impaired.
• We may choose to leave recorded voice messages in the near
future.
January 31, 2012
Department of Homeland Security
27
• You will be able to receive notices in the event of an emergency.
• This system is critical in when we are tasked with accounting for all 5NR
members in the event of a Personnel Accountability exercise or drill. No
automated contact means that an Auxiliary officer must contact you
personally each time.
January 31, 2012
Department of Homeland Security
28
• The 5th Coast Guard District (Active Duty, Reserves, civilians and Auxiliary) conducts
Personnel Accountability exercises immediately following major incidents,
such as hurricanes, floods, tornados, and significant earthquakes.
• We can expect a couple Personnel Accountability exercises each year, to
keep us ready to participate when a major incident occurs.
• During these drills, we are expected to communicate to 100% of our
members, to determine their readiness and safety.
• Those who cannot be contacted via Everbridge will be contacted
personally, unless they have previously contacted their flotilla leadership.
January 31, 2012
Department of Homeland Security
29
• You might choose to limit your combined contacts to a single
home phone, email and/or cell phone.
• The problem for that is:
• In an accountability exercise, you’ll be able to confirm one member’s
contact, but there will still be another to confirmed via a call to/from
your Flotilla Commander.
• Since we won’t know which was confirmed, we’ll have to personally
contact all members with that contact information, resulting in
duplication of effort.
January 31, 2012
Department of Homeland Security
30
• For Everbridge questions, ask your flotilla’s
Communications Services Officer (FSO-CS), who will
use the CS chain to resolve any issues you may have.
• For contact information updates, see your flotilla’s
Information Services Officer (FSO-IS) for changes to
AUXDATA.
January 31, 2012
Department of Homeland Security
31
January 31, 2012
Department of Homeland Security
34