Outerlink Tracking and Communications Operates Successfully in School Evacuation Exercise

Outerlink Corporation, a leading provider of satellite-based mobile asset management solutions, announced today that it had participated in the 2010 Sandwich School Evacuation Exercise. Sandwich, Massachusetts is located on Cape Cod in close proximity to the Yankee Pilgrim Nuclear Power Plant and abuts the Otis Air National Guard base. Working with Sandwich first responders, Outerlink supplied satellite and terrestrial based communications and tracking for the exercise which involved evacuation of children with disabilities from their school to a safe haven.
 

 
Various devices from Outerlink were tracked throughout the exercise by the Outerlink Emergency Management System (OEMS). The OEMS is a free standing control system that is independent of terrestrial based power and communications links.
 
In the simulation, the OEMS monitored three different Outerlink tracking devices: the Outerlink Personal Tracking Unit, the Mobile CP4i and the ground version of Outerlink's CP2. The personal Tracking Unit was the only device that utilized terrestrial connectivity during the exercise and is a placeholder for a new satellite based device that will be unveiled by the Company later this year. The Mobile CP2i provided satellite based voice communications for Sandwich Police. Outerlink CP2s were used to track school buses, police vehicles and ambulances during the exercise.
 
As a preplanned part of the simulation the PTU tracked one of the students and his aid as they left the communication bubble during the exercise. Sandwich first responders relied on the command center screen to locate the missing students. Event managers dispatched ground assets to retrieve the student.
 
In an unplanned event, the CP2 was utilized when one of the buses left the scene to return to the school without an escort. Event managers were able to track down the bus on the screen and coordinate with the CP2 unit in one of the police cars to make sure the bus arrived back at the school safely.
 
Outerlink Chief Executive Officer, Steve Durante, commented on the drill: "The exercise was a clear example of how public and private entities can join forces to produce a very beneficial product that will benefit many citizens in the future."