| [September 09, 2004] |
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Nextel Joins America Prepared Campaign to Emphasize Communication Preparedness for Emergency Planning
RESTON, Va. --(Business Wire)-- Sept. 9, 2004 -- September is National Preparedness Month; Nextel Supports Nationwide Initiative
Nextel Communications Inc. (NASDAQ:NXTL), in concert with the America Prepared Campaign, a non-profit, non-partisan public service campaign designed to help Americans prepare for emergencies, announced today that it will join the campaign to help educate Americans on the value of communication for emergency planning. Launched as part of National Preparedness Month, an initiative of the Department of Homeland Security that seeks to increase emergency planning awareness, the America Prepared Campaign and Nextel will reach Americans through a number of different vehicles this month, and through the remainder of the year.
"Nextel has long been committed to meeting the communication needs of public safety officials and individuals during crisis situations, and we are very proud to lend our experience to this important national cause," said Nextel President and CEO Tim Donahue. "This campaign will showcase the vital role communication plays during an emergency and will give Americans the tools they need to be prepared."
Nextel is supporting the efforts of the America Prepared Campaign and will assist in distributing preparedness checklists, which will help people develop their own preparedness plans. These checklists offer individuals and families a list of critical emergency preparedness supplies as well as an outline for a family communication plan, where phone numbers, walkie-talkie IDs and important medical information can be stored in a single document. Throughout the month of September, checklists will be available at Nextel-owned retail stores and NASCAR Nextel Cup Series(TM) races. Nextel will also showcase America Prepared Council's public service announcements at NASCAR Nextel Cup Series races through the end of the 2004 race season, as well as work with other partners to promote complementary preparedness activities.
"We hope to increase awareness and motivate all to discuss and develop an emergency communication plan with their families, friends and coworkers," said Leon Frazier, vice president, Public Sector at Nextel.
There are three primary components to the America Prepared Campaign--get a kit; make a plan; be informed. Many communications methods, such as email wireless data services and Nextel Direct Connect(R), the long-range digital walkie- talkie service, are important to consider while developing a communication plan. Nextel Direct Connect does not operate on the same public switched telephone network that often becomes congested with both landline and cellular calls during an emergency, and thus may remain functional, enabling communication to continue in a crisis.
For more information about National Preparedness Month and Nextel Communications, please visit www.nextel.com/prepared.
About Nextel
Nextel Communications, a FORTUNE 200 company based in Reston, Va., is a leading provider of fully integrated wireless communications services and has built the largest guaranteed all-digital wireless network in the country covering thousands of communities across the United States. Today 95 percent of FORTUNE 500(R) companies are Nextel customers. Nextel and Nextel Partners, Inc. currently serve 296 of the top 300 U.S. markets where approximately 253 million people live or work.
About The America Prepared Campaign
The America Prepared Campaign is a non-profit campaign that utilizes the expertise and energy of American leaders in emergency preparedness, media, marketing, government, and business to help Americans prepare for a terrorist attack. Through high-impact media spots, school based initiatives, corporate partnerships and media education programs, America Prepared aims to support the work already begun by the Department of Homeland Security Ready Campaign to give Americans useful recommendations for preparing their homes and their families for another terrorist attack. The Campaign, funded by The Alfred P. Sloan and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundations, is led by journalist and entrepreneur Steven Brill, author of the critically-acclaimed book After, which chronicled the year after September 11, 2001. Members of America Prepared's Board of Directors and Advisory Panels include Harvey Weinstein; Mary Matalin; James Carville; Leslie Moonves; Jeffrey Katzenberg; Floyd Abrams; Sally Quinn; Bill O'Reilly; Major General Bruce Lawlor (Ret.); Dr.'s Tara O'Toole and Irwin Redlener who are the directors, respectively of the Center for Biosecurity at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health; and David Ropeik, the Director of Risk Communication at the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis. More information and a complete listing of the Board of Directors and Advisory Panel and their affiliations can be found at www.americaprepared.org.
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