Survey Results Indicate Need for Emergency Communications Technology Improvements in Education Organizations

MUKILTEO, Wash., March 15, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Teo (http://www.teotech.com), an innovative telecommunications company, today released results from a survey on emergency communications technology titled, "Dialing in on E911: Emergency Communications Awareness in Education." The study, conducted by a leading market research firm, reveals a significant lack of knowledge by IT decision makers in K-12 and higher education organizations regarding the value and impact of Enhanced 911 (E911) technology.

Telecommunications in schools as well as most other organizations rely on PBX technologies to connect individual extensions throughout the entire facility through common trunk circuits to the public telephone network. As a result, calls made to a 911 operations center may not provide any information about the exact location of the caller. This presents serious obstacles to successful emergency management. Emergency responders may waste precious time identifying the origin of the call since they did not have information leading them to a specific wing, floor or room. With an E911 response system, responders are provided specific location information for every call made to E911 emergency dispatchers.

While nearly 70 percent of respondents said their organization currently has a comprehensive emergency communications plan, only one-third of organizations have actually enabled an E911 response system. This finding illustrates that while respondents may think their emergency communications plans are complete, in reality they are still significantly exposed to risk without E911 response systems in place.

Additionally, of the decision makers surveyed, 70 percent were concerned about liability risks associated with their private branch exchange (PBX) technology, but 78 percent had done nothing to mitigate risk due to this lack of knowledge. Lack of knowledge also contributed to the finding that E911 technology was not a spending priority in the next year for the majority of respondents.

"With this survey, we learned from key stakeholders how the education sector values E911 technology and what they are doing to improve safety for their students and staff," said Steve Hill, president of Teo. "These findings indicate that education organizations are not equipped with important technology to help manage emergency situations. It is our goal to help increase awareness of available E911 technology and how it can help improve safety in an effective and affordable way."

E911 response systems accurately pinpoint the origin of a 911 call while simultaneously alerting need-to-know personnel via screen pop-ups, text messages and more. Features may include a variety of alert screens that can be customized with maps, medical alerts, emergency contact numbers and response procedures.

"Integrating an E911 response solution into an existing telecommunications infrastructure can help decrease the risks associated with emergency management in school communities by establishing a centrally managed communication system that automates and streamlines key processes," Hill continued. "An E911 response system enables on-site personnel to have access to immediate and accurate information of an emergency event, allowing for better coordination and improved emergency responses."

Additional details and survey data are available at http://www.teotech.com/e911_whitepaper-1.

About Teo's E911 Response Solution

The E911 Emergency Response Solution from Teo includes 911 call recording, 911 call monitoring, secure automatic number identification (ANI) management, multiple group partitions for a variety of functions and much more. When a 911 call occurs, messages are automatically sent to need-to-know personnel via screen pops, mobile text messages and email.

Teo's E911 customers span a variety of industries, including city governments, hotels, universities and schools. The company's customer portfolio includes the Bedford School District in Pennsylvania; Dolce Hotels and Resorts; and Vassar College in New York.

The company's E911 response solution is part of its strong heritage and lineup of cutting-edge made-in-the-USA communications tools, including a unified communications platform, a series of ISDN and VoIP telephones, ISDN Network Terminations devices and ISDN Centrex Attendant Consoles.  

For more information on Teo's E911 response solution, visit http://www.teotech.com/solutions/e911.

About Teo

Teo (formerly Tone Commander Systems) is an innovative telecommunications company specializing in telephone and network solutions for Fortune 1,000 companies, government agencies, educational institutions and small and large businesses around the world. The company, located in Mukilteo, WA, offers several made-in-the-USA products including U.S.-manufactured VoIP telephones, Unified Communication Systems, Enhanced 911 (E911) Response Systems, NT1 ISDN Network Terminations, ISDN Centrex Attendant Consoles and ISDN telephones. For more information about Teo, please visit www.teotech.com or call 800-524-0024.

Media Contacts: Michelle Craig or Katie James, Nyhus Communications LLC for Teo, (206) 323-3733 | [email protected] or [email protected]

SOURCE Teo