Subject: [NEXTEL-1] Can You Hear Me Now? Florida Marine Research Institute uses the Nextel communications network to coordinate a manatee rescue effort.

From: Marcel <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 11 Feb 2003 05:43:02 -0500

I'm glad to see Nextel is on top this issue..........
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Can You Hear Me Now?

           Florida Marine Research Institute staff members Lucy Keith and Tom Pitchford
use the
                 Nextel communications network to coordinate a manatee rescue effort.
               (Photo courtesy of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.)

 By Patti Thompson, Save the Manatee Club Director of Science and Conservation

 Good coordination and communications are the cornerstone of the Manatee Rescue Network.
Maintenance of
 these systems ensures a timely response by which to aid critically injured and distressed
manatees. However, the
 current system relies on over 40 entities to respond to these calls. Communication
equipment varies from
 participant to participant. At times, this has hindered the ability to effectively
communicate during rescue
 operations.

 The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) recently provided funds to help establish, for
the first time, an actual
 communications network. The Florida Marine Research Institute (FMRI), the entity
responsible for coordinating
 rescue efforts, selected Nextel Communications, which provides equipment with cellular
and radio capabilities. A
 total of 50 phones were purchased with these funds and a trial period was set up to test
the effectiveness of the
 Nextel network. SMC is providing funds for the radio communication portion of 17 phones
for various different
 participants. The cost will be about $2,800 annually.

 Because the radio feature of this system is set up statewide, the more individuals and
facilities that use this
 equipment, the more effective the system will work. "The lag time now being experienced
due to paging or leaving
 a message regarding information crucial to the organization or activities of a rescue
will be drastically reduced with
 just the touch of a radio call button," said Penny Husted, a manatee biologist with FMRI.
Jim Valade, FWS
 Rescue Network Coordinator, added, "This Nextel system will also serve to standardize
equipment between
 Rescue Network participants and to expand communications, so the ability to effectively
rescue manatees will be
 vastly improved."

 Save the Manatee Club was also provided with a Nextel phone, which greatly improves our
ability to contact
 Rescue Network participants when we receive calls from members of the public, who often
do not know whom
 to contact when they see an injured manatee.

 Thanks to Jim Valade and Penny Hustad for all their hard work. Thanks also to our members
whose
 support of the Rescue Fund made our contribution possible.

http://www.savethemanatee.org/newsnextel.htm

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