● ADASHI, a provider of software decision support tools for firefighters, police, and medical responders, and a unit of Optimetrics, Inc., has signed an agreement with the ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEMS RESEARCH INSTITUTE (ESRI) under which ADASHI is now an authorized business partner and OEM for ESRI’s geographic information system (GIS) software products. The integration of ESRI’s GIS tools within ADASHI First Response v2.2 (ADASHI-FR) provides an interface for viewing hazard areas along with local geographic information including terrain features and the locations of fire stations, fire hydrants, and hospitals. This enables the use of locally developed and enhanced maps that identify potential hazard sources, infrastructure, evacuation routes, and more. ADASHI-FR features comprehensive hazardous agent response guidance, intelligent discovery of potential hazards, and recommended actions for mitigation displayed on a street-level map. In addition to National Incident Management System (NIMS) forms management, the software now provides comprehensive preplans for every incident type. Other updates to ADASHI-FR include emergency operations center (EOC) recommended actions and checklists with real-time entry, an updated weather interface optimized to use the most accurate meteorological data, improved MET station and global positioning system (GPS) location acquisition, and multiuser incident networking.
● New Jersey Task Force One (NJ-TF-1) selected RESCUE 1, located in Manasquan, to manufacture 13 urban search and rescue vehicles for nine North Jersey fire departments as part of the Metro USAR Strike Team.
This program is federally funded by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and designated to help protect the country’s urban areas most prone to a potential terrorist attack. Selecting a New Jersey-based manufacturer allowed for a project of this scale, which started in May 2004, to be successfully completed at the end of the summer 2006.
Working with nine different USAR departments and a local New Jersey manufacturer allowed NJ-TF 1 to speak directly to the company and the engineers on any project issues, saving time and alleviating any potential issues, said Kevin Morrissey, senior planner for the task force.
Working closely with each participating fire department, Rescue 1 manufactured all of the heavy rescues specifically tailored to the individual department needs and mounted equipment uniformly among the units to foster cohesiveness in the event of a large-scale incident. The participating Metro USAR Strike Team members trained together to enable all the fire departments to share resources and provide back-up to each other.
● MSA has released a critical infrastructure protection bulletin that details the need for advanced multi-threat detection devices to help protect critical infrastructures and key resources (CI/KR) nationwide. The bulletin explains the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s National Infrastructure Protection Plan (NIPP), discusses funding opportunities, categorizes the main infrastructures at risk, and provides multi-threat detection solutions available from MSA. For more information, visit www.MSAliterature.com, and www.MSAgasdetection.com.
● RAE SYSTEMS INC. offers new software for the GammaRAE II, NeutronRAE II, and GammaRAE II Responder personal radiation detectors. The new software downloads stored readings from GammaRAE II units with firmware version 2.0 or greater, all NeutronRAE II units, and all GammaRAE II Responder units to a local computer using a Bluetooth wireless link. The instrument’s configuration can be viewed from the computer. Up to 60,000 data points from the GammaRAE II and 30,000 data points from the NeutronRAE II or the GammaRAE II Responder can be downloaded. At one per minute, this capacity represents 1,000 hours or more than one month of continuous data for the GammaRAE II and 500 hours or almost three weeks of continuous data for the NeutronRAE II or GammaRAE II Responder. Available free to RAE Systems’ radiation products customers at company Web site: www.raesystems.com/Downloads. Current owners of registered GammaRAE II, NeutronRAE II, or GammaRAE II Responder units will receive a CD with this software upgrade in the mail.
● HUGHES ASSOCIATES, INC. (HAI), a global provider of fire protection engineering, code consulting, and security services, has merged with GAGE-BABCOCK & ASSOCIATES, INC. (GBA). GBA has significant national presence in fire protection engineering and security consulting services. The merger provides Hughes a presence in Chicago and the metropolitan New York region, and strengthens HAI’s position in southern California and Los Angeles. Integration between the various offices/operations offer the added benefits of a broader and deeper pool of technical expertise and project experience.
