El Segundo, CA; Portland, OR—January 26, 2006—NC4, The National Center for Crisis and Continuity Coordination, Inc. and RAINS, a non-profit public/private organization dedicated to accelerating technological innovation in homeland security and public safety, today announced a strategic partnership. NC4 alerts that come from multiple nationwide sources including on-line dispatch, radio traffic and 9-1-1 centers will now be available to the RAINS’ Connect & Protect® program. The partnership will improve the quality of time-sensitive information that Connect & Protect disseminates to schools, emergency responders, critical infrastructure sectors and other public safety stakeholders, providing more and better information to enable them to respond more quickly to an incident or emergency.
NC4 operates incident monitoring centers on the east and west coasts of the United States and provides customized alerts, mapping, video and other critical information on breaking incidents and emergencies allowing subscribers to make quick decisions to protect life and property.
The Connect & Protect™ program from RAINS is an online Community Watch Center, delivering real-time sensitive and emergency information to public and private organizations working together to improve public safety and emergency response. This Internet-based communications system securely connects community members such as government agencies, schools, critical infrastructure, neighborhood associations and other private and public safety stakeholders to each other and to other communities, allowing them to receive, exchange, and share information and intelligence.
“The RAINS/NC4 affiliation creates a powerful combination,” said NC4 president Jim Montagnino. “Together we will significantly enhance the situational awareness of nationwide communities of interest requiring the best and latest information at their fingertips when time is of the essence.”
“Delivering rich and meaningful information where and when it’s needed could mean the difference between life and death,” said Charles Jennings, chairman of RAINS. “Combining NC4’s updated, analyzed information about alerts and incidents with RAINS’ trusted information exchange platform delivers the right information to the right people where and when it is critically necessary.”
NC4 and Connect & Protect are being integrated with a bi-directional interface that supports the emerging Common Alerting Protocol (CAP) XML standard. Alerts will flow seamlessly, in an automated, highly reliable and near real-time mode, via highly secure Internet communications.
The partnership gives NC4 a seat on the RAINS Board of Directors. NC4’s Dr. Richard Andrews, who sits on the Department of Homeland Security’s Advisory Council, joins board members from Alion Science and Technology, BAE Systems, ESRI, Regional Emergency Management Group, SignaCert, Swan Island Networks, the City of Portland Bureau of Emergency Communications and Portland State University.
About NC4
NC4, with Incident Monitoring Centers on the east and west coasts of the United States, improves the Situational Awareness of both business and government by providing 24/7 real-time proactive incident information, alerts and coordination services. NC4 issues timely, relevant and personalized alerts covering incidents near key locations that may impact organizations, operations and the health and safety of individuals.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
O’Keeffe & Company, Inc.
Adrienne Osterhuber-Reitz
(703) 883-9000 ext. 131
aosterhuber@okco.com
About RAINS
RAINS is a non-profit, public/private alliance formed to accelerate development and deployment of innovative technology for homeland security. RAINS has forged alliances with technology companies, multiple research universities, critical infrastructure providers, local, state and federal agencies, and first responders. Its Connect & Protect™ highly secure information sharing service was launched in 2003, and has delivered hundreds of thousands of alerts without fail. Connect & Protect is described as a “radical breakthrough” by WIRED Magazine (December 2005).
FOR MORE INFORMATION, visit www.rainsnet.org or call:
Ben Berry, Executive Director, RAINS
503-796-5803
ben@rainsnet.org
or
Sherry Lamoreaux, Media Relations, RAINS
503-796-7926
sherry@rainsnet.org
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