Enhanced Visual Emergency Alerts for the Hearing Impaired

Most of us realize what a siren indicates, but for those who are deaf or hearing-impaired, visual emergency alerts are necessary.  Unfortunately, these “non-audio alerts” lack some of the information and nuance of audible alerts, but this is rapidly changing.

Evolution of Visual Emergency Alerts

When residents are properly informed during emergencies, it can only help utility emergency preparedness.  This is why the evolution of visual alerts is relevant in our industry.

Traditionally, visual emergency alerts have taken the form of flashing strobe lights.  This tactic works in its most basic form, because the flashing can typically be seen whether it’s in front or behind you, and it’s overt enough to trigger action. 

The main downside of a strobe alert is that the flash pattern is static and does not change for different types of emergencies.  Conversely, audio alerts can be accompanied by specific instructions to follow (for example, instructions regarding the response to flooding should be different than that of a tornado).  

The good news is that the technology behind visual emergency alerts is evolving, and some school systems are now implementing these new and improved technologies.  Here are just a few examples:

• Digital LED signs – these can be used in conjunction with flashing strobe lights to communicate specific information.  These digital display tactics can be further integrated into a the IT infrastructure to enable the delivery of customized messages based on location, age, or any number of variables. 
• Text messaging – an app can be configured to send mass text messages to reach all at-risk people no matter what their specific location.  The downside of cellphone alerts is that the ubiquity of texting increases the odds that these messages will be ignored or lost in the clutter.
• Emerging technologies – one example is MessageNet, which offers a “power over ethernet” platform consisting of screens, speakers, video cameras, and flashers to provide visual queues as well as traditional audio information.

As you can probably guess, visual emergency alerts are not a one-size-fits-all proposition, and it’s best to use a variety of different tactics to ensure maximum awareness and consumption of the information.  The bottom line is that this technology is improving all the time, and this is great news for utilities as well as residents.