Subject: [NEXTEL-1] Wireless Network To Link Managers in Case of Emergency

From: [email-masked]
Date: Fri, 20 Jun 2003 13:24:28 -0400

Published: June 16, 2003
Wireless Network To Link Managers in Case of Emergency

By STEPHEN LOSEY

A system to alert about 200 top postal managers in the event of an emergency
threatening the mail flow will be ready by the end of July, said the U.S. Postal
Service's chief technology officer.

Robert Otto said the emergency management system will use cell phones, pagers and
Blackberry wireless systems to notify managers at all hours about situations such
as an airline strike, anthrax contamination, mail bombs or demonstrations that
prevent workers from entering postal facilities.

"If something happens at 11 p.m., we don't want to wait until 7 a.m. to tell
[managers]," Otto said.
The system will cost less than $1 million, Otto said.

The Postal Service will issue top managers Blackberries that they can use to
access emergency plans and contact information of people they may need to reach
during a crisis.

"I've seen a demo on hand-helds and it looks pretty slick," Otto said.

Responses to emergencies could include stopping mail delivery, Otto said.
The plan also includes a strategy to relocate postal operations from one facility
to another "at a moment's notice" if one is unusable due to anthrax contamination,
a bombing or other disaster, said Michael Furey, the Postal Service's Northern
Virginia district manager.

"The tricky part is no one knows what will happen or how big the area [of the
disaster] will be," Furey said. "It could be a seven-mile radius."

The relocation plan depends on flexibility, Furey said. For example, if a facility
in Fairfax, Va., were closed, postal operations could be moved about 10 miles to
Falls Church, Va.  But in the event of a large-scale terrorist attack or major
disaster, operations could go to facilities in Washington or southern Maryland.

A large emergency would probably require assistance from Postal Service
headquarters, Furey said.
"Our initial reaction to any potential emergency would be to shut down the
facility and ensure our employees and customers are safe," Furey said.

Portions of facilities could be shut down as well, Furey said. If a tornado
damaged one portion of an office, Furey said, that area would be closed and the
rest of the office used if it were deemed safe.
Managers also are receiving Government Emergency Telecommunications Service
cards.  The card is intended to be used during an emergency similar to the Sept.
11, 2001, terrorist attacks, during which telephone lines became hopelessly
clogged. The card carries a number to dial to access an emergency telephone line
and bypass all other calls.

All postal executives carry emergency plans with them at all times, said Furey,
who keeps one copy in his office and one in his car.

Managers at district, area and headquarters level are working closely on the
emergency plan, Furey said.

http://federaltimes.com/index.php?S=1939944

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