Critical Incident Response Tool Set Being Tested by South Carolina Emergency Personnel
FAIRFAX, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 20, 2003--
Wearable Computers and Crisis Response Technology Create Solution
for First Responders -- Police, Firefighters, Emergency
Technicians and Public Health Officials
The National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center-Southeast (NLECTC-SE), a program of the US Department of Justice's National Institute of Justice (NIJ), has instituted the testing of a Critical Incident Response Tool Set for emergency technicians and other "first responder" teams in the Charleston, SC metropolitan area.
The project was conceived under the auspices of US Senator Ernest F. Hollings and is part of an NIJ Office of Science and Technology (OST) grant with the objective to develop, test and deploy a solution that assists in rapid response to acts of terrorism, violence and/or natural disasters. The system enhances rapid response capabilities by providing immediate access to critical operational information necessary to initiate tactical intervention, rescue and/or recovery operations.
The Critical Incident Response Tool Set will allow first responders and subsequent emergency personnel to manage operations by having various types of critical information at their fingertips, including building floor plans/schematics, specific images related to a facility or site, incident command protocols, and other critical response data.
Xybernaut Mobile Assistant(R) V (MA(R) V) wearable computers, configured with Tactical Survey Group (TSG) crisis response technology, have been chosen as the equipment for this initiative.
Xybernaut Corporation, (NASDAQ:XYBR) in conjunction with NLECTC-SE, will spearhead the effort, integrating its wearable computing technologies and solutions with products and services from TSG, a Xybernaut strategic partner.
The MA(R) V is a state-of-the-art PC-equivalent mobile computer, providing immediate access to information in the computer's internal storage, or information available via local area networks and/or the Internet. The information is available on an as-needed, where-needed basis, making it ideally suited to crisis response situations.
As part of this initiative, Xybernaut wearable computers will be made available to local responders in the Charleston area. Evaluations of the Critical Incident Response Tool Set will be conducted during agency training exercises, an annual system-wide mock exercise, and actual critical incidents.
These evaluations are designed to present emergency teams with data related to a wide range of critical incident scenarios. Lessons learned through each evaluation will be shared nationally through the NIJ Office of Science and Technology.
"This tool is designed for ease-of-use, flexibility and reliable operation in the field," stated Mr. Thomas Sexton, Director of NLECTC-SE. "Emergency response teams will utilize the wearable computers at multiple sites within the Charleston area," Sexton added.
This equipment will allow crisis response teams to formulate tactical plans while en-route to a crisis situation, decreasing deployment time and increasing operational efficiency. Once on site, responders entering the crisis site will continue to have access to critical information via the wearable computers, reducing the team's reliance on information from the Command Center or other sources.
When appropriate, critical response information - such as FEMA guidelines - can be downloaded to or stored locally onto the MA(R) V for easy access during emergencies. Additionally, other types of data such as digital photographs, video, or information from diagnostic equipment, can be captured and saved locally to the MA(R) V hard drive or sent to remote locations using wireless or hard-wired networks.
Schematic diagrams and technical specifications can be viewed on the flat-panel displays in dark settings or in full sunlight.
"Facility security, emergency preparedness, and disaster response are natural fits for wearable computing and mobile solutions," stated Edward G. Newman, chairman, president and CEO of Xybernaut. "We are excited to be deploying our integrated security solution to first responders at such a critical time in our nation's history."
About NLECTC-SE
NLECTC-Southeast is co-located with its host, the South Carolina Research Authority in North Charleston, South Carolina. The Center is part of a nationwide regional and specialty Center system tasked by the National Institute of Justice to provide no-cost assistance to public safety agencies in implementing current and emerging technologies.
NLECTC -Southeast services are provided to local and State law enforcement, corrections, school safety and emergency preparedness departments throughout a 15 state area. The NLECTC Web site is at www.nlectc.org.
About Xybernaut Corporation
Xybernaut Corporation is an established provider of wearable/mobile computing hardware, software and services, bringing communications and full-function computing power in a hands-free design to people when and where they need it. Headquartered in Fairfax, Virginia, Xybernaut has offices and subsidiaries in Europe (Germany) and Asia (Japan).
Xybernaut's Web site is at www.xybernaut.com.
About TSG
Tactical Survey Group, Inc., a Team Xybernaut partner, is the first public safety software company to make tactical survey and map information readily available to emergency responders in the field by integrating specially enhanced high-resolution spherical panoramic images with common Web capabilities. For more information, visit their web site at www.tacticalsurveygroup.com.
Xybernaut, the Xybernaut logo, Atigo(TM) and Mobile Assistant(R) V (MA(R) V) are trademarks or registered trademarks of Xybernaut Corporation in the USA and other countries. All other brand and product names are or may be trademarks of, and are used to identify products or services of, their respective owners.
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (the "Act").
In particular, when used in the preceding discussion, the words "plan," "confident that," "believe," "scheduled," "expect," or "intend to," and similar conditional expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Act and are subject to the safe harbor created by the Act.
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CONTACT: Xybernaut Corporation
Michael Binko, 703/631-6925
mbinko@xybernaut.com |
