Emergency notice outfits grow in wake of shootings

In a world where phones are ear pieces and computers can fit into a pant pocket, it’s hard to believe a parent could go six hours, even 12 hours, without knowing their child was injured or dead.

Yet, Chattanooga businessman Robert Smith said it happens far too often, and he has developed a company, Alert Notification, intended to bring family and friends together more quickly in the face of tragedy.

“Most people don’t have systems or plans in place,” he said.

Alert Notification, which began in 2001 and is managed out of a small office in downtown Chattanooga, reduces the average six-hour delay to around 13 minutes, Mr. Smith said.

Individuals or families purchase a membership — $49.95 for an individual and $79.95 for a family annually — and in return receive identification cards to put in wallets, cars and other personal belongings that instruct police, doctors or emergency response workers to call a service that informs friends and family of an emergency, he said.

Services like Alert Notification have gained more attention on college campuses as administrations realize the difficulty of balancing students’ privacy rights with parents’ hunger for information, said some law enforcement officers.

After the shooting on Virginia Tech’s campus last spring, freshman parents are looking for safety measures, said Mr. Smith.

“Three years ago campuses liked what we did but now schools have been mandated to come up with solutions,” said Mr. Smith, who presents his product at university freshman orientations across the country. “Campuses are looking for ways to inform parents.”

Privacy laws allow students to modify their records, and many students, concerned with keeping their disciplinary or academic records a secret, eliminate their parents contacts from their university’s record system.

In those cases it can be nearly impossible to contact family members in the case of an emergency, said David Perry, chief of police at Florida State University who has suggested the use of Alert Notification on the FSU campus.

“I recently experienced a couple of situations where notification was difficult,” said Mr. Perry. “Students for the most part drive the information that is put in the system.”

Yet, on the flip side, students don’t necessarily want to keep their parents in the dark when it comes to emergencies, and businesses like Alert Notification helps students retain their autonomy while also providing valuable information to university officials or law enforcement in emergency situations, he said.

“Students want to be independent in college but what their parents to know (about emergencies),” he said.

Off of college campuses, Mr. Smith said notification delays are exacerbated by the changing communication landscape.

In states like Tennessee, Texas and Georgia, emergency response teams can look for a driver’s license and cross reference it to try and get a contact telephone number. But as more and more people opt to live without land lines it can be nearly impossible to find an emergency contact.

Also, without a cell phone or work contact it can be difficult to reach individuals in two-income households, he said.

“That drives up delay and response time,” Mr. Smith said.

With the growing interest in emergencies notification, Mr. Smith said he plans to grow 300 percent in the next two years and have 76 employees in the Chattanooga area. He declined to give the company’s revenues.

Expansion of the business would require a move to a larger facility.

“Because of (Virginia Tech) the opportunity is pretty incredible,” he said.