TECO Energy’s Electric and Gas Subsidiaries Throughout Florida Benefit from Coordinated, Streamlined Two-Way Notification Services from MIR3
San Diego, California --[EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION NEWS]-- December 6, 2005 – MIR3™, the technology leader in Intelligent NotificationTM solutions, today announced that Tampa Electric, a subsidiary of TECO Energy, Inc., has contracted with MIR3 to provide Intelligent Notification services. MIR3’s Intelligent Notification solutions and services enable designated individuals to send high-speed emergency communications to and from any device, such as landline, satellite and mobile phones, email, pagers, SMS, PDAs and fax, to individual recipients, groups or organization-wide with the click of a mouse.
Tampa Electric will utilize MIR3’s inAlertCenter to communicate internally with the Utilities’ more than 3,500 employees about weather-related emergencies, disasters and business continuity issues, such as IT-related outages. Designed for ease-of-use, MIR3’s inAlertCenter intuitive interface is simple to manage by non-technical personnel. It allows contact information to be easily updated and managed by anyone.
“The fact that inAlertCenter is extremely easy to use and records the success of calls sent and received was very important to us when choosing a notification system,” said Sue Connell, the Emergency Management Coordinator at Tampa Electric. “With the series of severe hurricanes we’ve had recently, it was imperative that we have a notification system in place in order to quickly communicate between departments and in order to speed hurricane restoration efforts.”
inAlertCenter features call bridging into call centers and conference calls; find/follow recipients based on their device priority and calendar schedule; complete 128-bit SSL security encryption and authentication; recorded voice or text-to-speech options; detailed reporting and metrics to determine the delivery success of outbound notifications and cascading of new notifications by recipients.
Tampa Electric joins a growing list of public sector and private organizations, such as the City of Miami, South Mississippi Electric, ImpactWeather and the Calcasieu Police Jury in Louisiana that already utilize MIR3’s Intelligent Notification for high-priority communications, emergency preparedness, business continuity and disaster recovery purposes.
“Tampa Electric is one of the many organizations that we were able to help prepare for the onslaught of hurricanes they experienced in the Southeast – both this year and last,” said Margi Schmidt, Senior Vice President of Business Development at MIR3. “We are pleased to help Tampa Electric get inAlertCenter up and running quickly with systematic, automated SAP database updates in order to make communicating company-wide before and during emergencies more efficient and much more manageable for its staff.”
About TECO Energy, Inc.
TECO Energy, Inc. (NYSE: TE) is an integrated energy-related holding company with regulated utility businesses, complemented by a family of unregulated businesses. Its principal subsidiary, Tampa Electric Company, is a regulated utility with both electric and gas divisions (Tampa Electric and Peoples Gas System). Other subsidiaries are engaged in waterborne transportation, coal and synthetic fuel production and electric generation and distribution in Guatemala.
Tampa Electric Chooses MIR3 inAlertCenter for Emergency and Business Continuity Communications
Fairfield County Business Alert Launched in City of Stamford
Sets Up Send Word Now For Emergency Notification
Stamford, CT --[EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION NEWS]-- October 28, 2005 - The Business Council of Fairfield County, in partnership with PricewaterhouseCoopers, Send Word Now, and the City of Stamford, unveiled an emergency notification and alerting system that will assist businesses in their responses to and recovery from an emergency. Known as the Fairfield County Business Alert, the system enables businesses to receive information directly from the City's public safety and private sector officials in the event that an unexpected crisis occurs. "Last month's natural disasters along the Gulf Coast have given us a stark demonstration of the importance of public and private sector cooperation in preparing for and responding to emergencies," said Christopher Bruhl, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Business Council of Fairfield County.
Involving the business community in disaster preparation and response is critical. With 85% of the critical infrastructure either owned or operated by the private sector, actions of the private sector must mesh with those of the government sector.
"In the event of an emergency, the number one priority for the Business Council's Security and Crisis Management Forum is to be able to communicate directly with the public officials to get timely and relevant information needed to protect employees and minimize business interruption", said Jennifer Kearney, of PricewaterhouseCoopers and Vice-Chair of the Business Council Security and Crisis Management Forum.
The need for a public-private communication network was identified in the City of Stamford Weapons of Mass Destruction Tabletop exercise sponsored by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on September 15, 2003. "The City of Stamford and Business Council are taking lessons learned from this exercise and putting them into best practice. We heard this need and have found a great resource in the Fairfield County Business Alert," said William Callion, Stamford's Director of Public Safety, Health and Welfare.
Using the technology of New York City based Send Word Now, messages can be sent through the Internet, from an e-mail or a live operator. In minutes, registered users will receive a message through multiple phone numbers, e-mail addresses, text messaging devices, and pagers simultaneously. "This is a great tool for business and an example of how the private sector and government can work together," said Michael Sher, Executive Vice President, SWN Communications, Inc.
Next steps in security
Earlier this summer, the City of Stamford, in cooperation with the Business Network of Emergency Resources (BNet) and The Business Council of Fairfield County, launched the Stamford Corporate Emergency Access System (CEAS). Businesses can identify and pre-certify key employees whose job functions are considered essential and who need access to a restricted area following an emergency. "This is a tremendous initiative for all businesses," said Peter Picarrillo, Executive Director, Business Network of Emergency Resources, Inc. "The City of Stamford is demonstrating its willingness to work with the business community, first with implementation of the CEAS program and now with the Fairfield County Business Alert."
"We are committed to making Stamford one of the most prepared cities in the nation," said Mayor Dannel Malloy. "An effective communication channel from the City to the business community will ensure that businesses both large and small receive timely information to implement business continuity plans or enhanced security arrangements."
Fairfield County Business Alert Used in National Security Exercise
In April, several members of the Business Council of Fairfield County participated in TOPOFF 3, the congressionally mandated exercise that took place in Connecticut, New Jersey, Washington, D.C., Canada, and the United Kingdom. As part of the TOPOFF 3 exercise, the Fairfield County Business Alert was put through its paces. Private sector participants were linked up and able to communicate with the State Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security throughout the exercise.
For more information about the Fairfield County Business Alert or the Stamford Corporate Emergency Access System, contact Tanya Court, Director of Public Policy and Programs, The Business Council of Fairfield County at 203-705-0668.
DCC, Twisted Pair Solutions Join Forces to Improve First Repsonder Communications
Interoperability Achieved Through New Strategic Partnership
Franklin, Tennessee --[EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION NEWS]-- October 6 , 2005 -DCC (Dialogic Communications Corporation), the global leader in emergency notification technology, and Twisted Pair Solutions, Inc., a Seattle-based developer of interoperable group communications software, have entered a partnership that will dramatically improve communications between first responders nationwide.
DCC’s emergency notification software, Communicator! NXT, rapidly sends time-sensitive information to first responders through various devices (e.g., phone, pager, email, etc.). Twisted Pair’s WAVE™ software application suite utilizes standards-based IP communications to tie any two-way radio, cell phone, landline, IP phone or PC together for true group communications interoperability.
Through this partnership, public safety organizations will use DCC’s technology to alert and mobilize first responders. After being notified, personnel will then utilize Twisted Pair’s software to communicate with one another, regardless of their device or carrier, ultimately helping them better manage the situation-at-hand.
Powered by Microsoft®.NET™ and SQL technologies, Communicator! NXT is a web-based emergency notification solution that automates communications with first responders, personnel and volunteers. It rapidly delivers voice and text messages to available devices and gathers all-important feedback for true, closed-loop communications in times of crisis.
Twisted Pair’s WAVE suite of applications uses open standards, current off the shelf hardware, and the pervasive IP network to enable public safety and defense agencies to communicate using virtually any communications device including any two-way radio (P25, analog, digital, UHF, VHF). First responders use WAVE for critical voice and text communications and dispatch operations.
“Interoperability is critical in any emergency or routine situation. Different organizations and individuals must be able to communicate with one another as needed,” said Shaun Botha, President and CTO of Twisted Pair Solutions. “After DCC’s emergency notification technology is employed to alert personnel, our WAVE solution steps in and enables different groups to communicate with each other utilizing the devices they currently own. By teaming up with DCC, we are significantly improving America’s emergency response capabilities and advancing interoperable communications on all levels of government.”
About Twisted Pair Solutions, Inc.
Twisted Pair Solutions, Inc. designs, develops and markets ground breaking software that enables interoperable group communications. Their WAVE™ software application suite serves an unlimited variety of devices and allows previously incompatible systems to work together seamlessly, including PCs, cellular phones, radio systems, handheld devices and more. Twisted Pair Solutions creates products that improve their customers’ day-to-day communications abilities and also help save businesses, critical infrastructure, property and lives in emergencies. For more information, visit www.twistpair.com.
MIR3 Intelligent Notification Service Enables the Jurupa Community Services District to Alert Thousands of Customers about Drinking Water Precaution
San Diego, California --[EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION NEWS]-- September 27, 2005 -- MIR3™, the technology leader in Intelligent Notification™ (IN®) solutions, today announced that the Jurupa Community Services District in Mira Loma, California, has contracted MIR3’s notification services in order to send more than 14,000 water customers immediate, high-priority notifications about the status of water wells at the District’s water treatment plant.
On July 8, Jurupa faced a serious emergency when they experienced technical problems at its water treatment plant and two of the wells went down. Jurupa had to rely upon a phone message machine and local residents walking door-to- door to deliver fliers that informed water customers about the well issues. The notification of the more than 14,000 customers was a slow and tedious process requiring help from volunteer staff over a two-day period.
Jurupa decided that a more effective method of notifying its water customers was required for high-priority, or emergency situations. After researching available options, Jurupa staff decided that MIR3’s automated, two-way interactive notification system ensured that all customers would receive the notification alerts. Within one day of contacting MIR3, Jurupa was able to successfully send 28,000 notifications to repeat earlier alerts sent via phone and by door-to-door fliers.
“We were very pleased to help Jurupa get critical warnings out to their customers in such a short period of time,” said Margi Schmidt, VP of Business Development at MIR3. “Our Intelligent Notification technology was designed just for this purpose: to quickly enable the delivery of notifications on a massive scale that issue warnings or instructions in the event of a disaster or emergency.”
St. Petersburg Police Department obtains New Emergency Notification System
Alert Software Calls Residents, Notifies First Responders during Hurricanes, Missing Person and other Emergency Situations
St. Petersburg, Florida --[EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION NEWS]-- September 7 , 2005 - The St. Petersburg Police Department has a new ally to help strengthen the city’s emergency response capabilities. Officials today announced they have implemented a powerful alert system that automatically calls residents directly at home during critical situations.
Developed by Tennessee-based DCC (Dialogic Communications Corporation), the Internet-driven emergency notification system will allow the department to pinpoint geographic areas-at-risk during such emergencies as severe weather, missing persons or terrorist threats, and immediately calls residents with information or instruction. The software also will be used to notify and mobilize first responders, including police, fire and EMS.
The new emergency notification system is made up of two solutions from DCC – Communicator! NXT and GeoCast Web. Communicator! NXT serves as the calling engine, rapidly sending voice and text messages to all types of communications devices, including phone, email, pager and fax. The software is powered by Microsoft®.NET™ and SQL technologies and can be accessed by officials from any location via the Microsoft® Internet Explorer web browser. GeoCast Web works in tandem with Communicator! NXT by allowing users to select targeted notification areas on digital, street-level maps - ranging from a single city block to an entire county.
When the software is activated, residents will receive a phone message that could contain such important information as hurricane evacuation routes, shelter locations or missing person alerts.
Aside from communicating with local residents, the St. Petersburg Police Department will also use the technology to mobilize first responders in times of crisis. The software will automatically deliver detailed information or instructions regarding the situation-at-hand, and intelligently fill positions until all required teams are assembled.