The city of Providence this week adopted a free online mass notification system, "FLASHbrief," that alerts citizens in the event of an emergency.When an alert is issued, it appears on citizens' computers in a matter of seconds. The system caters to "those people who sit in front of a computer all day," said Peter Gaynor, director of the Providence Emergency Management Agency. To use the system, residents and businesses must download free software provided by the city.The system could be used to quickly inform citizens of critical situations, from terrorist attacks to hurricanes. For instance, the city of Annapolis, Md. used the program to warn residents about tropical storm Hannah in September, according to the city's local newspaper."This new tool will provide our emergency response team with the ability to reach thousands of residents incredibly fast, with the click of the mouse," Gaynor said in a Dec. 1 press release. "FLASHbrief will be especially helpful to local businesses who must make important management decisions in the event of an emergency."Gaynor said he discovered the system when searching for a method of mass notification to complement Reverse 911, the telephone alert system that Providence currently uses. The city adopted the software in large part because it is free for municipal governments in capital cities, Gaynor said.W. Scott Jones, the executive vice president and chief financial officer of FLASHbrief, said the system is unique because it allows local governments to notify an unlimited number of computers."Whatever the emergency plan, it always requires communication," Jones said.The company will introduce an upgrade to the system in April, which will allow residents to receive alerts on cellular devices, Jones said.