"One of the largest states in the U.S., Texas maintains a land and water area of 268,581 square miles, which presents a number of challenges in communicating during emergency situations," said Major Clay Wheeler, G6-Signal Officer, Texas National Guard. "We require the ability to quickly, efficiently and securely coordinate with various entities across the state during any major incident. These mobile 'Rapid Response Communications Kits' provide us the ability to share critical information, save time and ultimately save lives."
PacStar will integrate Fortress' wireless and security products and Nortel WiMAX solutions from Nortel Government Solutions into a ruggedized case, offering the ability to transmit/receive e-mail, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and video feeds securely between Guard members at the scene of an incident and other organizations statewide. The Rapid Response Communications Kits significantly streamline the response to, and management of, a disaster situation by immediately opening lines of communications between multiple agencies -- such as the American Red Cross, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), state/local/county agencies and other first responders.
Rapid Response Communications Kits have been used successfully by the Texas National Guard for a number of disasters including Hurricane Rita, to provide faster, more reliable incident control. Fortress is also working with Army National Guard units in a number of other states on Rapid Response Communications Kits for use in their deployable networking environments.
