All-Hazard Warning Network

The Executive Summary

EMTEL RESPOND21

Overview:

Seven years ago the Chairman of EMTEL (Emergency Management Telecommunications), previously project manager for the Star Wars Missile System Program at Cape Canaveral Air Station, after becoming quite familiar with the dangers associated with global severe weather, chemical and nuclear hazards, terrorist threats, and all of the other potential disasters associated with the world's most sophisticated missile program, realized the necessity for an "ALL-Hazard Warning Network". This "Network" now called RESPOND21® (Respond to Emergency Situations, Prediction Of Natural Disasters) has been designed to be a "Total Solution To Emergency Management Telecommunications". This new Patent Pending Integrated System Technology was designed to provide seamless notification to both emergency management personnel and the general public in a timely manner to address hurricane, tornado, flood, wildfire, missile anomaly, nuclear event, mud-slide, earthquake, terrorist attack, chemical spill, road hazards, civil disobedience and an unlimited list of other possible dangers threatening the lives and property of residents worldwide. EMTEL is currently working with counties in the Southeast to implement Beta Test Sites for this new technology. EMTEL will be happy to provide a presentation of the EMTEL RESPOND "Total Solution" to the committee at the committee's convenience.

EMTEL - Emergency Management Telecommunications:

EMTEL understands that in order to provide a useful "All-Hazard Warning Network" there must be a total integration of emergency information at municipal, county, state, and national levels. So, to efficiently utilize emergency data, all communication technologies at all levels must be able to successfully converse with each other. Investigation indicated that there was no company providing a total solution to emergency management telecommunications, which would provide "seamless communications for all hazards". So EMTEL was formed to provide this total solution for Emergency Management and Public Safety organizations worldwide. This Florida Corporation has teamed with the world's finest providers of 911, Computer Aided Dispatch, REVERSE911®, Telemedicine Systems, and Internetworking Systems, to weave a network for emergency communications, which will eventually connect municipalities to counties, to state emergency regions, to state and national facilities. EMTEL's goal is to provide a capability to notify an agency, company or an individual on any and all communication conveyances that there is pending danger in time to protect and save lives and property. EMTEL is currently joining with Verizon, Sigma Micro, AMD, InfoWorx, DTN, Crown Communications, and other superior technology providers to make the RESPOND concept a reality.

The Problem:

Prior to generating the EMTEL Corporation, four years were spent visiting municipal and county agencies across the United States to identify and provide solutions to emergency management and public safety issues. The following problems were found to be universal:

1) A lack of appropriate telecommunications equipment

2) A failure of systems to integrate physically & integrate information

3) The inability to procure accurate and unlisted phone number bases

4) The inability to communicate information to Management in a timely manner

5) The inability to communicate information to the General Public in a timely manner

6) The necessity for collaborative mitigation planning between municipalities and the state.

7) The inability to obtain funding to correct the above.

A dedicated Tiger team began to identify the problem roots and a better define the sources over a three-year period in an attempt to define a viable solution. RESPOND was born from this extensive study and addresses all of the problems identified above with what we feel is an appropriate and viable solution.

Figure 1. RESPOND Total Solution

The Solution:

The RESPOND FLOW, Figure 1., above encompasses all of the technology necessary to satisfy problem number one. The RESPOND Integrated System is composed of independent technologies that can all talk to each other through integrated databases. Notice that Public Safety is integrated and connected to Emergency Management. By teaming the resources and technologies of a Sheriff's Department and the Emergency Operations Center, joint funding can result in a highly efficient communication system which can be simultaneously used by Public Safety and Emergency Management. All technologies and associated products and suppliers have been identified to solve Problem One. Please note that there is seamless communication indicated from the 911 calls, through computer dispatch, to emergency mobilization and public notification, to tele-medical communications, which includes remote video medical services, and triage support.

Since data base integration was a problem, EMTEL RESPOND has chosen systems that use compatible databases and mapping structures so that seamless communication is possible. What about the counties that have already purchased some equipment from different vendors and their systems do not communicate? EMTEL saw that this was going to be a real problem so management generated a division of EMTEL called Inttelesys which will address all problems associated with data base integration. Inttelesys software engineers will design interfaces so that the integration of existing systems is possible. So the problem of system integration will be solved by selecting new components that already are compatible and utilizing Inttelesys to interface existing systems. Problem Two has thus been addressed and should pose less of a problem as the "TOTAL Solution" is implemented. Please note that the central components of RESPOND are connected by Geo-Coded Maps. This concept of integrating maps of the coverage area is the key to being able to notify residents or management in time to protect against a pending threat. Again, the teaming technologies are all using the same map bases making integration possible. RESPOND imbeds the longitude/latitude and/or zip+4/street address information in the map. When an emergency is detected the system can identify cell towers, phone numbers, pagers, siren warning systems, and other communication conveyances in seconds and generate a call list for immediate notification of all affected at a rate which is dependent on the number of phone lines utilized and the length of the message. Digital messages would be broadcast to all cell phones with digital reads, which are powered, and in the cell target areas.

It is obvious that if the RESPOND or any other systems is to work effectively, the mapping system must be integrated and tied to an up-to-date phone database with unlisted numbers. EMTEL saw this as Problem Three and approached our State of Florida Senator Graham two years ago with petition letters from Public Safety and Emergency Management to release the 911 base to emergency management providers. These efforts and those of Senator John McCain resulted in the passage of Federal Law #106-81 which provides for the "release of 911 data to emergency management providers at a reasonable cost". This legislation provides for the timely and equitable disbursement of emergency information for the first time since REVERSE911® systems have been implemented. This legislation also satisfies Problem Three.

Problems Four and Five relating to timely notification are politically and technically dependent. The technical solution is one of integration of high-speed technology. The Geo-Coded mapping and newly acquired 911 data bases will satisfy the speed requirement for having the numbers available, but how do we pull the numbers from the map and make notifications in a time frame which will be meaningful to a specific emergency? Please reference the RESPOND Flow (Figure 1.) and notice that the RESPOND base system is directly coupled to the Internet, NEXRAD Radar, Fire-Watch Satellite, Gun-Fire Detection Systems, Automated Medical Devices, and Mobile Monitors. As a prime example, please consider a tornado that is identified by NEXRAD Radar. The NEXRAD feed from DTN will be directly connected to the EMTEL RESPOND REVERSE911® Call-out system from Sigma Micro. The Patent Pending EMTEL RADCOMM21™ interface will automatically interact with the Geo-coded map pulling a call-list of potential tornado target residences and activating an automated notification of those residences. The call list will be updated every few minutes to re-prioritize the call sequence to address locations more likely to be hit by the storm.

The call list can be generated within seconds of the detection by NEXRAD. How do we notify potential target residences within 10 minutes, which is the necessary window of effectiveness for a tornado? The cell towers will be notified immediately and the broadcast sent to all with powered digital phones. The verbal messages via phone line pose more of a problem due to the necessity for speed. This is where the new Patent Pending Nodal Networking™ concept developed by EMTEL will provide the solution.

Please note from the chart above that 4T1 systems or one hundred phone lines would produce an effective call rate of 12,000 calls per hour or 2,000 calls in ten minutes which would be effective for a level 1,2,or 3 tornado. A level 4 or 5 tornado may require 5 or 6 T1 systems to reach the effective call rate. Utilizing Nodal Networking™ several remote systems could be networked together which would work as one to address the immediate problem. These systems could be located in different counties and still act as one virtual system. This technology also provides hot spare backup and routing maximization and protections. The political aspect is of course getting the counties to team and join financial resources to make this happen. EMTEL is currently working with counties on the west coast of Florida to implement this concept. This potential five county network would provide 16,800 calls per hour or which would be effective in addressing most tornado threats in Florida. The plan is to network all of the EM areas in the State of Florida and then to integrate the areas. EMTEL wants to make sure that the problem of call rates is eliminated as a major problem so EMTEL designed a concept called MegEvac™ which EMTEL is currently presenting to potential providers, to generate a reserve, high-rate call processor which will address disasters anywhere in the United States. Disaster notification would be paid for by FEMA for Nationally declared disasters. The EMTEL Chairman is discussing others means of financing this capability as of the date of this document. MegEvac™ is an acronym for Multiple Environment Geo-Coded Evacuation Via Automated Communications. So the EMTEL the call rate Problems Four and Five by the use of Nodal Networking™ and the EMTEL MegEvac™. Proper planning for disasters a major problem identified by the research and this problem can be solved by providing the appropriate expertise to the counties through the EMTEL Mitigation Consulting Team and providing a communication conveyance which is interactive, fast, easy to use and inexpensive. The solution is called infoWorx. infoWorx is an Internet collaboration network, which can provide video, audio, and text conferencing for an unlimited number of participants. The user simply logs into the highly protected conferencing environment from anywhere in the world via a PC Windows Browser and can be part of the meeting. This eliminates the need to travel for meetings and all work can be accomplished at work, home, or on alternate business travel. Documents can be developed in real time, PowerPoint training can be run, videos played, real time video presentations can be supported and blast e-mail can provide messaging. This inexpensive planning solution will store documents safely, provide a whiteboard for product development, has chat interfaces, and a notation bulletin board. All conference rooms are protected and attendees are logged in and out of the system and accounted for by attendance reports. Please see Figure 3., below of a protected conference area in the Florida Emergency Operations Center.

The Florida Emergency Management Area 4 is comprised of eight counties as indicated by the conference room on the left (Figure 3.). All eight counties can conference and collaborate independently or all in the same conference room with all assets protected. The Citrus County Conference Room has been selected which has resulted in the screen below. Note that all attendees are logged, time stamped, and constantly reported. Anyone can be locked out of the room and documents pass word protected. The left box is for live chat and the bulletin board has a note displayed. A tool bar selection will open numerous options including the video operations. There is no better way to conduct remote meeting than through the infoWorx RESPOND password protected and integrated Collaboration Network. infoWorx is automatically provided with every EMTEL/RESPOND EM system placed. InfoWorx and the EMTEL Mitigation Consulting Team provide the expertise and technology to solve any mitigation planning problems. The final major problem identified by EMTEL with implementing a seamless "All-Hazard Warning Network" is funding. Although not a trivial problem, EMTEL has devised a plan to provide necessary emergency management systems at an affordable price. The EMTEL plan identifies three resources for funding:

1) Inter-Organization Teaming

2) Verizon 100% Leasing to Purchase

3) Federal and State Grants

Since the RESPOND system can be used simultaneously by several organizations, these organizations should combine resources to obtain necessary funding to pay for the implementation. Corporations that deal with hazardous products are liable for exposing the general public to these hazards. These corporations should be approached to totally or partially fund the system implementation.

Verizon Leasing, joining with EMTEL to make RESPOND available to all counties, has pre-approved 100% of the total cost of the RESPOND systems for counties in the United States. At 0% down and 36 months to pay with a one-dollar payoff to purchase, RESPOND systems can be installed for $1,000 to 2,000 per month plus the phone line costs.

The EMTEL Grant Writing Consulting Team will assist the customer in applying for Federal and State Grants. This team has been highly successful in obtaining necessary funding. The ideal scenario is for the county or municipality to immediately install the RESPOND system utilizing the Verizon Leasing Plan. While the system is being installed and used the Grant support team will assist in obtaining funding from the government to pay the lease and own the system. Teaming with the Sheriff, Utilities, Local Corporations and other government agencies can reduce the lease and grant amounts appreciably. EMTEL personnel have placed many systems in Florida using one or all of these options. So, the problem of obtaining funding has been addressed and greatly reduced by this triad of options.

EMTEL has addressed and successfully eliminated the major problems for implementing the "ALL-Hazard Warning System. EMTEL has designed and applied for US Patent protection on numerous disaster telecommunication solutions which are part of the "All-Hazards Warning Network" that EMTEL calls RESPOND.

OutReach21™: This device is a call-out system which is capable of calling an unlimited number of phone numbers simultaneously utilizing a patent pending capability known as Nodal Networking™ to combine numerous calling systems to increase the calling power and maximize efficiency. This system is the heart of the RESPOND system and pulls phone, cell, Internet, pager, and other conveyance numbers from the same geo-coded maps as addressed above. OutReach21 is the EMTEL name for REVERSE911® which EMTEL markets for Sigma Micro.

RadComm21™: This is a severe weather or other disaster notification system that will accept NEXRAD radar or other disaster data and pull phone numbers from a map and call people at risk prior to the disaster striking. For example the RadComm21 system could call 3000 residents on the phone and advise them of a Tornado which could strike their residences within 10 Minutes. This system will also call cell phones, pagers, radio stations, and Internet screens with the same warning message, all from information taken from geo-coded maps. All residents will be re-contacted with an all-clear message after danger has passed.

FireWatch21™: This component of the RadComm21 system will utilize infrared and temperature gradient satellite imaging to identify and track wildfire anywhere in the world. The satellite fire image will be automatically imbedded on the same geo-coded map utilized for severe weather tracking thus providing access to phone numbers and other telecommunication devices for notification of the danger. Fire management teams and residents in harms way will be notified of the pending threat. FireWatch will not only save lives and property but save the Sheriff hundreds of hours of manual evacuation time.

FireTracker21™: This is a Public Safety Device that will identify to law enforcement the location of a gun being discharged in the coverage area. FireTracker will be a mobile device mounted in a police cruiser which uses sound triangulation and GPS technology to locate the gun fire, notify the dispatcher system, notify police in cruisers on their computer screens and call all neighbors in the affected area for information and warning messages. This is again accomplished with the use of Geo-coded maps with embedded phone numbers.

MobAlert21™: This device will identify any person in a disaster area with a cell phone powered up by again using Geo-coded maps with cell sites embedded at longitude and latitude coordinates. The mobile phone would be called with a danger notification message generated by the Emergency Management Director or Law Enforcement official. The message will be broadcast as a digital message to the alphanumeric display on the phone

NetAlert21™: This concept provides hazardous information to the Internet provider for display on the browser screen similar to a TV weather warning. A protected conferencing facility would be available to emergency management and the general public for planning and management of disasters on the Internet. This conference space could be encrypted and password protected to secure confidential information. This product is a hybrid of infoWorx collaboration network.

Locator21™: This device will track a lost child, Alzheimer patient, lost pet, or stolen vehicle by utilizing a small transmitter with GPS receiver. The mobile cell sites would again be utilized in conjunction with the same Geo-coded mapping system. A code number would be called in to the customer service number and the search would be activated. The lost individual or vehicle will be shown on the map or Long/Lat coordinates provided which would translate into the nearest street address. A ping history from the transmitter will be utilized to generate a direction vector for the individual’s path.

CabComm21™: This device will transfer severe weather or other danger information to rolling trucks on the road utilizing trucking company data transfer systems. This system would again work via the cell tower system countrywide. This system could be also utilized with trains, ships, and eventually private autos via satellite and other communication conveyances.

In Summary:

The RESPOND System addresses all natural and man-induced disasters. It addresses the emergency from the 911 notifications, to Dispatch, EM Mobilization, Evacuation and Public Notification, and all associated Telemedicine and Mobilization. RESPOND will work on all conveyances and will provide a seamless hazard notification flow when fully operational. Respond provides mitigation planning and the communications tools to accomplish the same. RESPOND provides the speed necessary to meet disaster requirements and is strong in areas of reliability and maintainability. RESPOND utilizes hot backup and hot spare technology to make the system robust and easy to repair. EMTEL has identified and implemented funding techniques where every county can afford RESPOND. RESPOND can provide all of the technology necessary to implement any type of telecommunication configuration through its world class teaming partners. Please contact Mitchell J. Auerbach, Chairman of the Board, EMTEL, Inc. for a presentation to your committee.