RSAN has been actively used by the NC RTTAC since its deployment in July 2005, and is the only operational system in California that allows individuals to communicate and receive real-time text-based emergency messages via a single, redundant, interoperable platform. The NC RTTAC RSAN system is used daily in the region to notify officials about routine incidents, fire conditions, and most recently a manhunt involving hundreds of officers launched after a California Highway Patrol officer was fatally shot during a traffic stop.
During the Golden Guardian exercise the NC RTTAC RSAN system delivered real-time incident information via numerous alerts and updates to cell phones, pagers, Blackberries, Treos various other text-enabled devices, and e-mail. Sample messages included "Explosive device at a BART station," the "Closure of the Golden Gate Bridge," "Explosions in Jack London Square and the Oakland rail yard," and a "Change in the terrorism alert status".
Lt. Tom Maloney, NC RTTAC Deputy Director, described the system as an "essential element in making sure responders and officials had the most current information." Lt Maloney continued, "The RSAN NC RTTAC system is the first communication system of its kind in the state that allows first responders and key government officials throughout the region and state to personally receive real- time alerts and notifications regardless of what end user device or system they have. Users in the NC RTTAC system include local, regional, state, and federal officials. The Golden Guardian exercise demonstrated the effectiveness and benefits of the NC RTTAC RSAN system."
Maloney continued, "The system performed very well ? beyond our expectations." According to NC RTTAC officials, the exercise prompted a substantial increase in the enrollment of people who receive messages via RSAN - doubling the number of users on the system.
During hurricane Katrina, when other communication systems failed or were overloaded, the NC RTTAC RSAN system successfully delivered text notifications to US&R (Urban Search and Rescue) personnel from California deployed in Louisiana following hurricane Katrina.
"Roam Secure's suite of applications and supporting services provide a terrific resource for all cities and counties and their emergency management capabilities," said David Drescher, Chief Executive Officer of Roam Secure. "Officials concerned about anything from earthquakes, to hurricanes to fire management, terrorism and other emergency management issues should look carefully at recent communication breakdowns during Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Despite the failures, text communications continued to prove reliable and text alerting should play a central role in every jurisdiction's terror response and emergency communication capabilities. The NC RTTAC system also provides an excellent model for DHS and law enforcement officials in the UASI regions looking to share information in real-time during events such as the London Bombings."
RSAN is an emergency communication and Terrorism Early Warning system specifically designed to enable first-responders, government agencies, private industry officials and the public to communicate reliably. RSAN is used daily by top-level executives and emergency management personnel in several federal agencies, and by first-responders and government officials in the cities and counties of several major metropolitan regions, including 17 counties and cities surrounding Washington, DC, Philadelphia, and at undisclosed high-level federal agencies.
