EMTools

Applications

Product Literature

Image: EMTools

All-Hazard Alerting Software

Category: Command & Control

The Federal Signal EMTools software solution is a cutting-edge all-hazard alerting emergency management system. EMTools can enable emergency managers to monitor live weather data from Federal Signal and NOAA weather stations, listen to NOAA weather radio all-hazards streaming audio, receive weather alerts from NOAA via common alerting protocal (CAP), activate outdoor warning sirens, forward NOAA alerts to various devices to warn citizens of impending dangerous conditions and simulaneously view, control and record video from multiple Axis video cameras.

Within the EMTools software, instant weather data from Federal Signal and NOAA weather stations can be viewed and monitored. In addition, EMTools interfaces to the National Weather Service's CAP server and constantly monitors weather alerts from NOAA. EMTools enables users to configure and automate pre-defined actions based on the alert events.
EMTools is fully integrated with a GIS mapping package and can display radar images received from the NOAA website. Customer defined servers may also be accessed for real-time viewing. Users can determine which alerts they wish to receive. When an alert occurs, the alert message can be scrolled across the top of the screen and be configured for an audible alert.

On the map view, visual indications of the alerts are displayed in color coding. The maps are interactive so that notices, watches and warnings can be viewed in their entirety by clicking on the various color-icons shown on the map. Threat areas are quickly created in the shape of a polygon based on the latitude and longitude points issued by the National Weather Service. EMTools also enables users to manually plot
a threat area on the map. Once a ploygon threat area has been identified, EMTools will automatically identify the warning devices and sirens within that threat area.

When EMTools is integrated with the Federal Commander Digital System, these identified warning sirens can be activated to warn people who are outdoors. The threat area can also be configured to identify and activate sirens within a specific distance from the threat area. Siren site status is shown on the map with color coded icons.

When purchased in conjunction with Federal Signal SmartMSG critical
communications solution, this module enables users to automatically send out SmartMSGs over a variety of devices including home telephones, cell phones, pagers, PDAs, computers, e-mail, SMS devices and handheld radios based on the CAP data that they receive. This will warn people who are indoors or outdoors of dangerous conditions. They can also send out SmartMSGs when they manually plot polygon threat areas, or transmit SmartMSGs directly from EMTools.

With the video module, users can view, operate and record video on multiple IP addressable Axis video cameras. This feature enables emergency managers to view live footage of impeding storms as they occur. Users can control the cameras with their computer's keyboards and also record video. The only limit to the number of cameras is their network bandwidth. Users can also view preset camera angles based on the presets of the control software. Customers can plot a camera icon on the map using the lat/long location of the camera.

The weather station module enables users to plot the location of their weather stations on the map using the lat/long coordinates. They can also view their current weather data on a weather monitoring screen. Customers can add any IP addressable Federal Signal custom weather station to their system.

Features