LOS ANGELES, Dec. 13, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) -- E Team, Inc., the proven, market-leading provider of collaborative software for crisis management, today announced that the State of New Jersey has deployed the E Team solution to extend its crisis management capabilities and ensure its ability to share incident data among state agencies.
Originally deployed in the state's Emergency Operations Center (EOC) earlier this year and activated for the Republican National Convention and recent regional flooding, the new system will now be made available to agencies and departments throughout the entire state to manage both everyday incidents and large-scale events. Once fully implemented, the E Team system will connect the New Jersey State Police Office of Emergency Management with all of the 21 counties and state agencies, including the Department of Health and Senior Services, Department of Military and Veterans' Affairs, Department of Environmental Protection, Department of Transportation, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and the New Jersey National Guard.
"The software has dramatically improved our effectiveness by providing real-time situation updates among a variety of agencies from the local to the national level," said Lieutenant Colonel Lori Hennon-Bell, commander of the New Jersey State Police Homeland Security Bureau. "The benefits were most apparent during the Republican National Convention, when the system enabled us to share online information instantaneously with our New Jersey partners, New York City's Office of Emergency Management, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, all of whom utilize the system."
Held August 30 through September 2 in New York City, the 2004 Republican National Convention drew approximately 50,000 participants to the area. The event, which also attracted as many as 250,000 protestors, was designated as a National Special Security Event and required regional collaboration to ensure the highest level of preparedness and most effective overall response. E Team's data sharing and collaborative capabilities allowed participating users to share incident information and coordinate a multi-agency, regional response throughout the event.
"During 9/11, information sharing between the counties and the state typically involved faxes and telephone conference calls. By the time someone prepared and sent a fax, the information was often outdated," said Scott DiGiralomo, Director of Emergency Management for Morris County, New Jersey. "The key to effectively managing any crisis, especially one that involves terrorism, is to have accurate real-time information that allows us to make better decisions. Decisions based on accurate real-time information result in more effective management of critical resources, which saves lives and reduces property damage."
CACI International, Inc., a federal government IT and network solutions provider of Arlington, VA and one of E Team's largest system integrators, was engaged to work on both the initial and ongoing New Jersey deployments.
"The E Team system is providing an incredible degree of real-time situational awareness and a common operating picture for emergency management professionals across the state," said Christopher Bonin, Homeland Security Program Manager from CACI's Eatontown, NJ offices. "The system provides a geographic view of the status of all incidents and critical infrastructure in the area of operations. Jurisdictions such as counties and cities, as well as key state agencies, keep the state Emergency Operations Center up to date on their status by submitting online situation reports. Further, the system has a very powerful logistics support engine that allows the state to monitor resources and deploy them rapidly in response to requests from front line responders and county emergency management partners."
New Jersey's decision to acquire E Team software was reached through a collaborative effort on the part of local, county, and state officials. Full statewide implementation of the system is expected to be completed by April 2005.
About E Team
Founded in 1998, E Team is a leading provider of crisis management software, serving public agencies of all levels and sizes, private entities, and non-profit organizations. E Team's collaborative software offers comprehensive functionality for the critical tasks of crisis management, enabling users to better prepare for, respond to, and recover from large-scale emergencies and everyday incidents. It is used in a wide variety of applications, including emergency management, homeland security, public health, business continuity, disaster preparedness and recovery, event management, and training and exercises. Proven time and again in real-world situations including Hurricanes Charley, Frances, and Ivan; the 2004 G8 Summit; Republican and Democratic National Conventions; and New York City's response to 9/11, E Team's browser-based software links the key players in a response, allowing effective multi-agency, multi-group collaboration. E Team maintains strategic relationships with leading technology providers, including IBM, ESRI, Microsoft, Oracle, Unisys, Boeing, and TELUS Geomatics, and has worked with SAIC on a variety of projects. Visit www.eteam.com for additional information.
About CACI
CACI International, Inc., provides the IT and network solutions needed to prevail in today's new era of defense, intelligence, and e-government. From systems integration and managed network solutions to knowledge management, engineering, simulation, and information assurance, we deliver the IT applications and infrastructures our federal customers use to improve communications and collaboration, secure the integrity of information systems and networks, enhance data collection and analysis, and increase efficiency and mission effectiveness. Our solutions lead the transformation of defense and intelligence, assure homeland security, enhance decision-making, and help government to work smarter, faster, and more responsively. CACI, a member of the Russell 2000 and S&P SmallCap 600 indices, provides dynamic careers for approximately 9,400 employees working in over 100 offices in the U.S. and Europe. CACI is the IT provider for a networked world. Visit CACI on the web at www.caci.com.