[April 02, 2012]

City of Dallas Retains Cassidian Communications as Emergency Notification Provider, Rolls out New GeoCast® Web™ Solution

Cassidian Communications, an EADS (News - Alert) North America company, today announced the successful rollout of its GeoCast^® Web^™ notification solution by City of Dallas Office of Emergency Management (OEM) in Texas. More than 60 days since implementation began, officials say the new system is functioning as anticipated and are urging area residents to register for multimodal alerts concerning localized flooding, wildfires, hazardous materials incidents and other potentially harmful situations.

"Ensuring timely and adequate warning to the public during times of potential or imminent danger is one of the more important jobs we have as emergency managers," said Kenny Shaw, director of City of Dallas OEM. "We are always looking for ways to improve risk communications to Dallas residents and businesses, and the GeoCast Web system provides us with enhanced warning capability in an efficient, reputable and effective manner."

Serving more than 1.3 million people, City of Dallas OEM coordinates the activities of volunteer, public and private agencies in all phases of emergency management. Using the GeoCast Web solution, officials can geospatially alert area homes and businesses in situations impacting public safety. The application, which replaces the previous REVERSE 911^® notification system, also from Cassidian Communications, combines highly advanced digital mapping technologies with phone databases to contact people in precisely targeted locations via phone and email.

All published and unpublished landline phone numbers within city limits already are included in the solution's database; cell and VoIP phones are not. Residents, business owners, commuters and others may register for system-issued notifications via the OEM's website, or directly through a self-registration portal. People without Internet access can get hard-copy registration forms at city libraries, city park and recreation facilities, and city police and fire stations.

"Even though we have the new GeoCast Web emergency notification solution, we still want to remind everyone that no single tool will provide enough warning to all people in all situations," added Shaw. "While the new system may give emergency officials greater capabilities, it is only one component of the overall public safety communications strategy. During emergencies, people should always seek out information from as many reliable sources as possible."

To support communications with emergency responders, community volunteers and other groups, City of Dallas OEM is utilizing Cassidian Communications The Communicator!^® NXT^™ solution. This industry-renowned application automates the operation's list-based notifications, helping mobilize personnel when needed.

Both The Communicator! NXT and GeoCast Web solutions are fully redundant SaaS (News - Alert) (Software as a Service) platforms, residing in state-of-the-art, geo-diverse hosting facilities. OEM officials have secure access to data, maps and infrastructure, and can easily activate notifications if and when necessary. Both solutions are backed by 24/7 technical support.

Also used by City of Dallas OEM since 2001 are the Cassidian Communications VESTA^® call processing solution, the MagIC™ management information system and the ORION™ MapStar™ mapping solution. Together, these applications enable fast and efficient handling of 9-1-1 and administrative calls by the operation's 97 call taking positions, helping support public safety measures throughout the city's 385.8 square miles.

"With The Communicator! NXT and the VESTA solutions, City of Dallas OEM has the widest range of tools available to improve public safety and enhance regional response times," said Bob Freinberg, CEO of Cassidian Communications. "Our mission is to advance public safety communications and thereby positively impact the safety, well-being and quality of life for Dallas residents and all its neighbors for years to come."

Cassidian Communications continues to serve clients ranging from public safety operations to Fortune 1000 corporations to federal agencies. Collectively, the company has more than 40 years of experience deploying 9-1-1 call processing applications, notification solutions and services, and first responder digital trunked radio networks.

About Cassidian Communications (www.CassidianCommunications.com)

As the largest and most trusted source of mission critical communications solutions, Cassidian Communications, an EADS North America company, is leading the way in standards-based NG9-1-1 call center applications, notification solutions and services, and P25 land mobile radio systems. The company is headquartered in Temecula, California.

About EADS North America (www.eadsnorthamerica.com)

EADS North America is the North American operation of EADS, a global leader in aerospace, defense and related services. As a leader in all sectors of defense and homeland security, EADS North America and its parent company, EADS, contribute over $11 billion to the U.S. economy annually and support more than 200,000 American jobs through its network of suppliers and services. Operating in 17 states, EADS North America offers a broad array of advanced solutions to its customers in the commercial, homeland security, aerospace and defense markets.

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