News

W.A.R.N. GIS Capabilities Expanded by Geo-Jobe for 2008

April 2nd, 2008

W.A.R.N. is proud to expand our partnership with one of the nation’s leading GIS (Geographic Information Systems) developers, providers, and trainers; GEO-Jobe GIS Consulting of Nashville, Tennessee.Geo-Jobe ConsultingAs our dedicated GIS developer partner since 2002, GEO-Jobe has added to W.A.R.N. - with the most powerful tool set on the market for rapid click, draw, and fire on their GEO-Powered platform allowing various shape or random selections and complete calling made active in selected areas in seconds.In 2008, Geo-Jobe is adding 2D / 3D, Bird’s Eye and Aerial views, super hi-res pictography of buildings and facilities, and more, to the W.A.R.N. Tool Bar and GeoPowered systems. W.A.R.N. matches the power of the GEO-Jobe platform with a high-speed calling system making thousands of calls a minute to telephones and other voice devices. W.A.R.N. has already helped expand the reach of GEO-Jobe into four new states, and is actively marketing the web-enabled GIS platform nationwide.Geo-Jobe Map

President Neill Jobe believes the expanded partnership can push more powerful services faster to the pubic and private sectors. GEO-Jobe GIS Consulting recognizes the importance of good communication services through rapid notification. We are excited to have the opportunity to help further expand the functionality of the W.A.R.N. application, and to introduce it to new industries that may benefit from this technology. GEO-Jobe® was formed to provide Geographic Information Systems (GIS) solutions to local governments, utilities, and educational institutions in the Southeast. Their GIS experience can help organizations through the most critical processes such as planning, hardware/software selection, and training — taking a business through every step of GIS Implementation.

Screen Shot from GEO-Powered W.A.R.N. Mapping in Prince George’s County, MD, utilizing the GEO-Jobe GIS web-enabled integrated mapping and notification products.

Lincoln County 911 Alerts to Cell Phones

March 21st, 2008

When a dam threatened to break in April, Lincoln County 911 used the Wide Area Rapid Notification system - or WARN - to call people at home alerting them the a life threatening emergency.

See Channel 13 WOWK-TV: http://www.swcg-inc.com/blog/?p=129

Allen Holder, director of Lincoln county’s emergency services, said mobile alerts, categorized by town, will run from natural disasters to missing people.

“The quicker we can get the information out to the public that we have a need for you to be watching, looking out your windows or doors, to determine that there’s someone out there that could be lost, the quicker we can actually get the help to the people”, Holder said.

Holder admits cell phone coverage in Lincoln County is spotty, but many residents work in Charleston or Huntington and they can be alerted to trouble at home before they even hit the road.

“I can tell you the smallest detail in disaster planning becomes the biggest obstacle,” said Dr. J. Loren Smith, director of Lincoln County Health Department. Smith anticipates WARN will help cut what he called the “hearsay obstacle” that often spreads misinformation and causes confusion.

County leaders say using land phone lines, WARN reaches the entire county in 15 minutes and has the potential to reach even more via cell phone no matter the distance from the emergency.

U.C. Davis Holds Successful Rapid W.A.R.N. Tests

March 20th, 2008

While more universities are implementing emergency notification systems in the wake of campus shootings at Virginia Tech University and Northern Illinois University, officials at UC Davis said their new system was already in the planning stages before those campus tragedies.

“Safety is a top priority on the campus. It always is so this is one of the tools that we’re going to try to use to make that happen,” said Valerie Lucus, UC Davis Emergency Operations Manager.

See KCRA 3 Story: http://www.kcra.com/news/15421405/detail.html

See News 10 Story: http://www.news10.net/display_story.aspx?storyid=38891

Marine Corps Air Station Miramar (G-6 Communications) Adds W.A.R.N.

March 10th, 2008

The communications department of Marine Corps Air Station Miramar (CA) has contracted with W.A.R.N. to provide notification services base-wide. MCAS Miramar is home to the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing Headquarters as well as Marine Aircraft Groups 11 and 16. These units comprise many different fixed wing and rotor wing aircraft including the F/A-18 Hornet, KC-130J Hercules, CH-46 Sea Knight, CH-53 Sea Stallion as well as station UC-35 Citations. The base is also home to Marine Wing Support Group 37, Marine Air Control Group 38 and the 3rd MAW Band among other units.

“The new W.A.R.N. capability is a force multiplier for the G-6 shop”‚ said W.A.R.N. Military Director and former Marine Josh Evans. “They will be able to do in seconds what used to take many hours, with faster results and reporting. We look forward to a long relationship of service.”

W.A.R.N. Chosen as Vanderbilt University “AlertVU” System

March 10th, 2008

Nashville, TN - Students and faculty at Vanderbilt University and Vanderbilt University Medical Center can now be notified rapidly in the event of an emergency.

View Fox News Story here: http://www.fox17.com/newsroom/top_stories/vid_1201.shtml

View News Channel 5 Story: http://www.newschannel5.com/Global/story.asp?S=7924255

The school has implemented a new alert system named “Alert-VU”, which is powered by the W.A.R.N. alerting protocol in use by such diverse U.S. agencies as the US Department of Defense, US Department of Homeland Security, and the Defense Logistics Agency.

Other US-based campuses using the W.A.R.N. solution include the University of Nebraska, the University of Kentucky, Case Western Reserve University, University of California - Davis, the University of South Alabama, and others.

The wide area rapid notification system works by sending mass text messages, e-mail and phone calls during an emergency. The free service is available to anyone on the Vanderbilt University or Medical Center campus.

“Care Calls” Sets National Model for Elderly Check-Ins

March 1st, 2008

Wide Area Rapid Notification (W.A.R.N.) has been helping to manage the City of Cleveland, Ohio, Care Calls Program for the Department of Aging since 2004. The program was re-designed using W.A.R.N., to automatically check up on elderly Care Callscitizens in the city, and electronically gather their positive response to their daily wellness check or “Care Call”, and to automatically record their responses and report on the calls in real-time.

Jane Fumich, Director, Department of Aging, initiated W.A.R.N. services, for the City of Cleveland, OH. “We were using another system to check on our seniors and quite frankly, it didn’t work very well. We’ve been extremely satisfied with W.A.R.N.’s performance. Not only does their elderly wellness check system work well, and is easily understandable, their customer service is superb.”

This fully-automated system from W.A.R.N. differs from other notification providers in several key ways and has set a “national model” according to aging population advocates. The W.A.R.N. elderly and handicapped notification program allows for automated calling to a large group simultaneously, then reports and removes all positive responses. Then the program moves into a series of re-dials, removing and reporting additional responses as received. If after a certain number of specified calls, there is no response, the program can escalate to family members, key holders, pastors, or others who are concerned or responsible for the senior. They are automatically contacted in a rotating sequence, ensuring someone responds positively to check on the adult. All of these cycles will complete, and report back to the Aging Director, before an EMS or City vehicle is dispatched. Using the W.A.R.N. system can save thousands of dollars in fees for false alarms and lost time and productivity for EMS personnel when a true emergency does not exist.

Charleston Metro 911 Grows W.A.R.N. Use; 200,000+ Pop. Covered

February 29th, 2008

In the WV state capitol and throughout Kanawha County, contact with responders and the public happens simultaneously, but on different W.A.R.N. networks.Kanawha County and Charleston, West Virginia, have expanded W.A.R.N. services under a multi-year agreement which includes public notification and command control mobilization services.Kanawha County and Charleston, West Virginia, have expanded W.A.R.N. services under a multi-year agreement which includes public notification and command control mobilization services.Kanawha County and Charleston, West Virginia, have expanded W.A.R.N. services under a multi-year agreement which includes public notification and command control mobilization services.

See the Video Here: http://66.129.116.75/news/charleston_WMV.htm

Kanawha County (Charleston WV Capital Area) At A Glance:

County Population: 200,073
County Houses: 93,788
Land area: 903.1 sq. mi.
Water area: 7.9 sq. mi.

Click Here for Story:

http://66.129.116.75/pdf/Charleston-We%20Have.pdf

California: Napa County uses multiple W.A.R.N. services to protect residents

February 29th, 2008

Napa County, California - Emergency services personnel recently selected W.A.R.N. to provide multiple integrated applications to protect the citizens of the county.

Napa decided on three W.A.R.N. applications integrated into a custom suite: GeoPowered, Broadcast and Command.

W.A.R.N. GeoPowered provides web-enabled GIS mapping tools tied to W.A.R.N. Broadcast, a powerful public notification platform.

With the use of W.A.R.N. Command, Napa securely distributes 1st responder mobilization and

notification technology across more than a dozen different public safety organizations across the county.

About Napa County
Napa County is located North of the San Francisco Bay area. Famous for award winning vineyards, fabulous restaurants, spas and scenery, Napa has grown into a bustling community of nearly 150,000. These residents are distributed primarily around the county’s five major cities: Napa, Calistoga, St. Helena, Yountville and American Canyon. Each with it’s own unique flavor, these cities form a diverse and vibrant community.

About W.A.R.N. LLC
W.A.R.N. brings over 20 years of network, communication and secure application management experience to the table offering compelling advantages over any other available call or contact system now in use. These advantages are measured in immediate availability, scope of performance and features, cost of acquisition, and cost of operation. W.A.R.N. is the only true fully web-based system giving users access and controls to enterprise dialing and data servers they could never own or install locally, with multiple network providers and a variety of methods of activation including web, telephone, email, text messaging and automated no touch launch via other software triggers.

Alert system proves effective after prisoner escape

January 15th, 2008

http://www.gazette.net/stories/011008/laurnew132043_32355.shtml

W.A.R.N. activated Jan. 2 in armed hospital escape; Prince George’s County MD

January 2nd, 2008

LAUREL, MD — Police were searching in the nation’s capital Wednesday for a prisoner who overpowered two guards at a suburban Washington hospital, shot a driver and fled in his car, officials said.

Wide Area Rapid Notification (W.A.R.N.) was activated in a 2-mile radius from the facility, notifying approximately 30,000 households in the area of the potential danger from the armed hospital escapee.

The incident began shortly after noon Tuesday, after Jessup Correctional Institution inmate Kelvin Poke, 45, complained of chest pains, Maryland State Police said in a news release.

Poke, who was serving life plus 40 years on kidnapping, carjacking and robbery convictions, was accompanied by two guards from the maximum-security facility to Laurel Regional Hospital, about eight miles away, where he was admitted, said Greg Shipley, a spokesman for the Maryland State Police.

About 8:15 a.m. Wednesday, on the fourth floor of the hospital, the prisoner “overpowered a correctional officer” and took his .38-caliber revolver, Shipley said.

Poke, who was not wearing handcuffs, then fired the weapon to free himself from his leg shackles, Shipley added.

Police found the stolen car shortly before 1 p.m. in Washington and shifted the focus of the search there.


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