"Next Generation in Public Safety Mobile Command Posts for D/FW"

Tuesday, February 11, 2003

PA Designs the Next Generation in Public Safety Mobile Command Posts for
Dallas/Ft. Worth International Airport
PR Newswire


WASHINGTON, /PRNewswire/ -- PA Consulting Group and Dallas/Ft Worth
International Airport have unveiled a $1.2 million, state-of-the-art Mobile
Command Post (MCP) for the airport's Department of Public Safety (DPS). PA,
a vendor-independent management consulting firm, led the design and
development of the MCP, which provides airport safety personnel with the
most up-to-date capabilities for coordinating intelligence and
communications during emergency situations.

A unique, 45-foot bus-sized vehicle equipped with the latest in computer and
satellite communications technologies, the MCP provides rescuers and police
with critical, real-time information at the scene of an emergency.
Dallas/Ft. Worth Airport (DFW) is the first and only airport in the world to
add this advanced rolling operations center to its safety and security
arsenal.

The MCP is currently being deployed in Nacogdoches County, Texas where it is
currently tracking more than 700 pieces of debris from the Columbia Space
Shuttle. In addition to tracking shuttle debris, the MCP is coordinating the
entire search-and-recovery team including the handling of incoming calls
regarding the shuttle for the county's emergency operations center and
tracking more than 500 local and state law enforcement officers and
volunteers participating in the effort. Stephen Blessing, a PA
Transportation expert and Project Manager for the MCP development says, "PA
is proud that the MCP is involved in the search-and-recovery operation
currently underway. We are heartened during this time of tragedy that our
product is being used to help recovery workers perform the difficult task of
piecing together the events that led to Columbia's demise."

Working closely with DFW Public Safety personnel, PA designed the MCP to
improve "situational awareness" and "collaborative communications," which
Jim Crites, DFW mandated as key elements for the proposed command post. With
these guidelines in mind, PA designed from scratch the most advanced Mobile
Command Post ever conceived and in service.

Two generations advanced in technology from any other MCP utilized today,
the DFW command post provides response teams with real-time data collection
capabilities, enabling them to share critical information immediately and
enhancing tactical decision-making. For example, Smart Technologies, Inc.'s
award-winning computerized white board overlay technology installed on the
42- inch NEC plasma display can provide an aerial view of the airport
utilizing multi-colored electronic marking pens, enabling personnel to: 

   * Quickly draw where the incident has happened and the expected security
perimeter 

   * Diagram the gate and road mutual aid should use, where to stage and the
specific road and gate to use for departure 

   * Detail Internal Public Safety, Airport Operations and Airport
Maintenance personnel and equipment staging areas 

   * Denote emergency equipment required to support the incident. 

This information is then saved as a file and emailed to all local police,
paramedics, hospitals and internal departments. The game plan for response
and staging is then known to all within minutes.

"We hope we never have to use the full capabilities of the Mobile Command
Post, but if the need arises, we have given our emergency teams the best
technological capabilities available to help them deal effectively with any
situation," says Jim Crites, executive vice president of operations at DFW
Airport. "Now, every firefighter or police officer working at the scene of a
crisis will be directly connected to the entire DFW response team and other
local, state and federal officials who may be called in to assist."

The MCP is equipped with satellite communications, real-time video
conferencing, multiple computer workstations, "smart screen" overlays and
advanced networking and telecommunications capabilities, all arranged for
optimal teamwork and communications among critical emergency response
groups. The vehicle can accommodate a dozen people working at an emergency
site for more than a week. Each of the LCD display monitors works as a
computer monitor, video display or television and has a touch-screen overlay
for navigating between applications.

"Our new Mobile Command Post can link any of DFW's 18,000 acres directly to
our Emergency Operations Center or other law enforcement officials anywhere
in the country," says Alan Black, fire chief of DFW Airport. "We've already
begun intensive training for all DPS officers who will be using the unit,
and we are very impressed by its capabilities. This is one more example of
how DFW is making our Airport more safe and secure for all its passengers."

The "core" of the DFW MCP is the Incident Management System (IMS)
Intranet-based software. As personnel arrive at the staging areas, a
Resource Management System reads the bar codes from the vehicles and
personnel by hand held computers/bar code readers. The information is then
fed to the IMS software via a 802.11b Cisco wireless 2.4 GHz LAN. The
Incident Commander then knows what equipment and personnel are available and
even what level of professional training they have (such as Hazmat trained).
As personnel arrive they log in, and their role for the Incident along with
a "check list" of what they must perform automatically pops up. As items are
checked off after being performed the Incident Commander has a much better
feel for the situational awareness of the incident and the collaborative
communications among departments it improved.

The Public Safety personnel are also able to perform field triage. Pre-
printed bar codes are attached to the casualties, then with a hand held
computer/bar code reader personnel can note the gender, approximate age and
injuries of the victims and then scan which ambulance they went in and what
hospital the ambulance is going to. The casualty count and related
information is fed via the wireless LAN into the IMS software, so the
Incident Commander has real-time information.

DFW MCP's specifications were developed by PA, the chassis purchased from
Prevost, and the conversion performed by Mattman Specialty Vehicles of San
Marcus, California. Alert Technologies developed the IMS software.
Salamander Technologies supplied the Resource Management and Triage
solution.

PA is now designing and procuring a new MCP, integrated with a fully
functional 911 Call Center, for another government agency. This new unit
will have the equivalent of four T1 lines coming into the mobile unit for
911 Calls and C3i. 

Note: About PA Consulting Group

PA Consulting Group is a leading management, systems and technology
consulting firm, with a unique combination of these capabilities.
Established almost 60 years ago, and operating worldwide from over 40
offices in more than 20 countries, PA draws on the knowledge and experience
of around 4,000 people, whose skills span the initial generation of ideas
and insights all the way through to detailed implementation.

PA builds strategies for the creation and capture of shareholder and
customer value, and helps clients accelerate business growth through
innovation and the application of technology. PA works with clients to
improve performance, mobilize human resources and deliver change
effectively, including managing major projects, and designing and
implementing enterprise- wide systems and full e-business solutions.

PA focuses on creating benefits for clients rather than merely proposing
them, and this focus is supported by an outstanding implementation track
record in every major industry and for governments around the world. PA also
develops leading-edge technology both for its clients and within its own
portfolio of venture companies in areas ranging from software to wireless
technology to life sciences.

PA distinguishes itself from its competitors through the range and quality
of its people, the depth of its industry insight, its development and use of
technology, and also its independence and culture of respect, collaboration
and flexibility in working with clients.

We are proud that our clients say, "PA makes it happen."

SOURCE PA Consulting Group 

On the web:

http://www.paconsulting.com/


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