EL SEGUNDO, Calif. – NC4, Inc., a leader in situational awareness, incident monitoring, crisis management, and secure collaboration, today announced that the Charlotte Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) has implemented nine standalone E Team systems to enhance emergency preparedness throughout the region.  This E Team deployment allows public safety agencies within five counties and two cities in North Carolina, as well as one county in South Carolina, to easily coordinate efforts across state lines to respond to critical incidents and prepare for planned events.    Designated as a UASI by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) after 9/11, the Charlotte UASI Region is responsible for terrorism incident planning for the entire area.  Efforts include prevention and response to large-scale regional incidents, as well as preparation for significant public events such as festivals and athletics.  In addition, this region conducts annual exercises for two local nuclear facilities – one located in southern North Carolina, and one just across the border in South Carolina.    “Incidents do not stop at state or jurisdictional borders,” said Garry McCormick, battalion chief, Charlotte Fire Department.  “A unique combination of geographic proximity and critical assets brought jurisdictions spanning two states together to form the Charlotte UASI Region.  In order to coordinate emergency management efforts for the region, we chose to leverage E Team, which facilitates information sharing and enhances our situational response efforts across borders.” Prior to implementing NC4’s E Team, the Charlotte UASI Region conducted emergency response and coordination through handwritten notes and spreadsheets, as well as the state system, EM/2000™, for tracking and reporting.  After Mecklenburg County first utilized E Team successfully during its effort to shelter Katrina evacuees in 2005, the Charlotte UASI Region recognized the need for an incident management tool that could provide real-time information exchange, data management, resource request tracking, as well as reporting capabilities, all in one common operating picture. “Before E Team, emergency personnel were required to make numerous telephone calls and fax critical information in order to notify other counties of threats or to request resources – this was time consuming and the data was inconsistent,” said Stacie Neal, program manager, Charlotte Fire Department.  “With E Team, each jurisdiction that signed on to the project has a standalone E Team system, allowing them to share vital information as it happens.  Whether it is daily occurrences, planned exercises, or emergency situations, E Team empowers the entire region with the ability to coordinate efforts and communicate requests efficiently and effectively.” Funded via a DHS grant, each of the six counties and two cities within the Charlotte UASI Region self hosts E Team.  Users have access to a common framework for information sharing that includes standardized reports, requests, notifications, directives, and annotated maps, as well as a complete set of Web-based incident management tools to sort and prioritize data.  Fully implemented in six months, NC4 provided separate trainings for each county in order to tailor the E Team application to meet specific county needs.    “As a Web-based application, E Team fulfills the essential communication objectives of the Charlotte UASI Region,” said David Weldon, Catawba County Emergency Services Director.  “E Team allows us to quickly and easily share information and access reports, as well as communicate with UASI partners during events at the nuclear power plants that are located in both North and South Carolina.  In addition to this daily coordination, E Team provides the platform necessary for conducting training exercises and federally-mandated drills.” “In a situation where information needs to flow not only across county jurisdictions, but also across state lines, it is imperative that incident management tools are user friendly,” said Jim Montagnino, president, NC4.  “E Team provides robust emergency management functionality in an intuitive platform that lends itself to daily use, as well as during large-scale events and disasters.”    E Team Demonstrations NC4 will demonstrate E Team March 4-5 in Sunset Beach, N.C. at the North Carolina All Hazards Conference.  This conference brings together local emergency management agencies for training on the hazards that may threaten communities in the state.  NC4 representatives will be available in the exhibit area for demonstrations.    NC4 will also demonstrate E Team March 9-13 in Washington, D.C. at the National Emergency Management Association (NEMA) Mid-Year Conference.  The NEMA Mid-Year Conference provides an opportunity for NEMA members to come together to discuss challenges, share solutions, grow professionally, and network with peers.  Conference attendees will strengthen relationships with partner organizations, hear from those involved in shaping the future of homeland security and emergency management, and share NEMA’s views on all hazards emergency preparedness with the leadership in Washington.  NC4 representatives will be available in the exhibit area for demonstrations. About NC4 NC4, through its incident monitoring centers, improves the Situational Awareness to both business and government clients by providing real-time, global, 24x7 proactive incident information and alerts.  NC4 issues timely, relevant, and personalized alerts covering incidents near an organization’s key locations that may impact life and safety, physical assets, and continuity of operations.  This includes incidents such as transportation, severe weather, hazmat, law enforcement, fire, terrorism, and other incidents that have the potential to cause disruption. Additionally, NC4 provides Situational Response through its E Team offering, which provides sophisticated software and planning tools to enable emergency managers to effectively process the massive amounts of information generated during a major event, crisis, or disaster.  E Team’s Windows-based, browser-accessible software has been used for project management during events ranging from 9/11, multiple Olympics, and political conventions to hurricanes and other natural disasters. NC4 also provides Secure Communications and Collaboration through its ESP offerings.  ESP is an application service provider that provides government agencies and corporations with a common platform for secure communication and collaboration.  ESP provides a thorough security solution for diverse organizations to share Controlled Unified Information (CUI) through highly secure, compartmented, Web-accessible portals.  For more information, visit www.nc4.us For more information, contact: Samantha Archey, O’Keeffe & Company, Inc. Advertising. Public Relations. Marketing.   921 King Street Alexandria, Virginia 22314 Telephone: (703) 883-9000 ext. 115 Email: sarchey@okco.com Website: www.okco.com