In all, the people who are notified of emergencies at the facility work for about 35 different agencies and groups, including police and fire department employees at the airport and seaport, said Ernie Hayden, chief information security officer for the Port of Seattle. The service is designed to notify key personnel in the event of emergency breaches at runways and other areas, fuel spills or updates on snowstorms, he said. It replaces a paging system that had been in use for many years and failed one time last summer.

"With recent bad weather in early January, we used the service for snow [notifications] very actively," Hayden said. Several messages went out during snowstorms, starting with notices saying "Snow is expected" to "Snow is starting" to "Two feet of snow, everybody report to the airport." Users can receive notices on a multitude of devices, including cell phones and laptops, and in various modes.

Hayden said the service was the least-expensive option the port considered. The service costs about US$5,000 a year for the first 50 users, with the port paying about US$30,000 a year for all 750 people on its notification list, he said. Since Send Word Now is a service, no new equipment was required, and Hayden or his colleagues can distribute emergency messages by calling or e-mailing the service provider.

New York-based SWN Communications Inc.'s Smart Alert Service starts at $10 per user per month, with additional costs based on usage, a spokeswoman said.

"This approach makes it much easier for a dispatcher to manage a response," Hayden said. In the past, a dispatcher would try to contact key personnel by various modes, but couldn't always be sure the message was received. Send Word Now includes a response feature that quickly gives the dispatcher a list of who has not responded.