Amy Sebring: Welcome to the EIIP Tech Arena! Today we are featuring Essential Technologies Inc. in a session entitled "Emergency Management Content and Collaboration: Incident Master Portal Fills The Gap." Amy Sebring: For the benefit of any first-timers, if you see a blue web address, you can click on it and the referenced Web page should appear in a browser window. Amy Sebring: After the first one, the browser window may not automatically come to the top, so you may need to bring it forward by clicking on a button at the status bar at the bottom of your screen. Then you will need to bring your chat window back to the top in the same way. Amy Sebring: There are several slides and some are fairly large files, so if you don't have a chance to view them during the session, you will be able to go back from the transcript to access them and view them at your convenience. Amy Sebring: We will start with a presentation, and then follow with a Q&A session for your questions and comments. Right before we begin the Q&A portion we will review the procedure. Amy Sebring: Background information for today's session may be found at http://www.emforum.org/varena/010328.htm ... Amy Sebring: Now I am pleased to introduce Dr. Jim Morentz, CEO of Essential Technologies. Jim has been a pioneer in the application of computer technology to Emergency Management and has continued to refine and expand on his original software package while developing several other products and information management strategies. Amy Sebring: An internationally recognized expert in the development and application of new technologies for environmental and emergency management, Jim has also played an integral role in developing the Comprehensive Emergency Management (CEM) philosophy and process, which has since been adopted throughout the United States. Amy Sebring: For further information about Jim and Essential Technologies, please see the bio on today's background page. Amy Sebring: Welcome Jim, it is a pleasure to have you with us. We turn the floor over to you now. Jim Morentz: Hello everyone. Thank you for joining me today for a look at some history and a glimpse into the future of emergency information management. Jim Morentz: I've been developing emergency management software for a long time --- sometimes it seems a very long time. I started with a refugee management system for the Department of State that was used throughout Africa in the late 1970s. Jim Morentz: That led to the U.S. Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance Lessons Learned System that was used for more than a decade to chronicle response to more than 250 different disasters. Jim Morentz: If you want to know how long ago that was in computer- age, take a look at this old picture of the computer that ran those systems. Amy, Slide 1 please. Amy Sebring: http://www.emforum.org/varena/essentech/slide01.htm Jim Morentz: (By the way, that is a younger Jim Morentz working on the computer. Since then, computers got small, fast, and cute, but not me!) Jim Morentz: Domestically, the first national computer system for emergency preparedness was our National Emergency Assistance Programs Index fielded to all 50 states by the National Governors Association from 1980 through 1984. Jim Morentz: That experience inspired me to create the first commercial emergency management system for personal computers, the Emergency Information System released in 1982. We actually sold two copies for ATARI computers in 1983. Jim Morentz: 1984 was a banner year when we released a CP/M version for the world's first portable computer, the Osborne, which at 24 pounds crushed more than a few vertebrae halfway through an airport. With all that going for us, we sold eight licenses. Jim Morentz: With a price of only $1,800 each, you had to have faith that this was a good business to be in. But, 1985, it turned the corner, as you can see from this first major installation of ours at the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency. Amy, Slide 2 please. Amy Sebring: http://www.emforum.org/varena/essentech/slide02.htm Jim Morentz: Then, IBM PCs had gained a foothold --- and we sold 50 Emergency Information System licenses. Faith and unfounded confidence were being rewarded. Jim Morentz: We released the first mapping software for emergency management --- again pushing the envelope by offering maps on computer displays that could only provide four colors and 320 by 200 pixel resolution. Jim Morentz: The rest is history, so to speak. In 1986 the passage of the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA) put hazardous materials planning by industry and government to work. Computers got faster, screen resolution more than doubled, 16 colors were available, and we sold 400 licenses. Jim Morentz: In the intervening years, the EIS software became Essential Technologies, Inc. and more than 15,000 licenses have been sold in 30 countries. The most important U.S. national emergency response organizations use our software as do hundreds of city and county fire, police, and emergency management agencies. Jim Morentz: Now that you know how I got here, let's talk about the future. The future is not computer software, it is information solutions. Sure, you have to write some code to make things work, but anyone who tells you that they have a computer software package that is going to make your job easier, make you more effective, help you out everyday, and save you money doesn't know what your job is. Jim Morentz: Your job is information not data. It is decisions, not discussions. That's why our mission has always been to get you the right information at the right time in the right form to do YOUR job better. Where do you get that information? Jim Morentz: Well, the best part of the answer is: You don't have to type it in anymore. Now, the World Wide Web and the Internet add to your local data to bring you the future of emergency management. Jim Morentz: But, not the unstructured, WWW where you search for "stuff" and occasionally find a "gem." Do you know that if you go to FirstGov and search on emergency you get 105,817 sources of information. Try sifting through there to find the current reading on a stream gauge near your town. Jim Morentz: The job of the software vendor, now, is to make sense of all the richness of information and turn it into a tool for your improvement. With that, I bring you Incident Master. Amy, Slide 3 please. Amy Sebring: http://www.emforum.org/varena/essentech/slide03.htm Jim Morentz: Incident Master combines contingency and emergency management applications with an ever-changing Content and Collaboration Portal. Jim Morentz: The operations software (driven by the Outlook-like buttons on the left) helps you better manage contingencies of all types by using operation logs and messaging, activating procedures and plans, managing assets and personnel, providing job descriptions and work-flow, forecasting risk and analysis, and employing outstanding briefing capabilities. Jim Morentz: The Portal content (the green buttons at the top) brings to your desktop analytical tools, exhaustive maps and data sources, educational materials and training, emergency management professional forums, near-real-time event data, and daily features from around the world of interest to us all. Jim Morentz: The Portal opens the new world to you. Let's take a brief look at the green content buttons and what they bring to your desktop, vehicle, or home office. Jim Morentz: The Today's Features green button allows you to access the latest news, articles, tools, and resources that the site has to offer divided into eight categories: Current Events, Tools & Techniques, ... Jim Morentz: Business Continuity, Emergency Planning and Response, EHS Incident Management, Hazard Watch, Research and Education, and Helpful Organizations. Amy, Slide 4 please. Amy Sebring: http://www.emforum.org/varena/essentech/slide04.htm Jim Morentz: Today's Features is available to anyone who comes to the site and registers. It is updated daily to provide the results of hundreds of hours of searching the Web for the "gems" of emergency management. Jim Morentz: The Resources green button provides a comprehensive source of products and services available to help you manage an incident, conduct business continuity planning, and build your emergency management system. Amy, Slide 5 please. Amy Sebring: http://www.emforum.org/varena/essentech/slide05.htm Jim Morentz: These are the people, companies, products, and processes that we have identified as potentially useful to you and we hope that they serve your needs. Jim Morentz: Let's take a look at a couple of these. We've brought all the map-searching tools you need right to the Portal. And, a World Clock. And the Code of Federal Regulations. And a dozen other tools that help you work smartest. With more on the way. Jim Morentz: The Near Events green button has quick links to get to Internet-based near-event data sources to monitor potential or developing crisis situations in your area. Jim Morentz: These Web sites provide real-time data on observed hazardous events and forecasts/ predictions for developing events. Amy, Slide 6 please. Amy Sebring: http://www.emforum.org/varena/essentech/slide06.htm Jim Morentz: These Web sites provide real-time data on observed hazardous events and forecasts/ predictions for developing events. Amy, Slide 6 please. Jim Morentz: Again, you can find weather radar (shown in the lower left), but the Portal makes it part of your daily work life. A weekly drought update is right at your fingertips. Jim Morentz: But, you really need to search to find those stream gauges, shown here mapped and updated every 15 minutes for the State of Kentucky. And we've found them and bring them right into the portal. Jim Morentz: Plus, how many hours has your LEPC spent tracking SARA sites or other environmental risks. With Incident Master, all you do is enter your zip code and we deliver exhaustive EPA data on maps like this. Jim Morentz: Let me just summarize the other content resources. Jim Morentz: The Education button offers a host of lessons, exercises, free instructional materials, as well as training. Jim Morentz: The Organizations button presents the professional community of business continuity and emergency management. Included here are many of the familiar (and not so familiar) organizations that make up the profession. Some organizations provide information, others resources, some certify, others inform. Jim Morentz: The Archive button stores all the past Today's Features providing a treasure trove of information for your professional growth. Jim Morentz: Finally, the User Forum gives you the chance to interact with other people and organizations in your profession, and get the latest information from Essential Technologies. Jim Morentz: Now, let's turn to the Incident Master application software. Jim Morentz: The actual Incident Master Application Software helps you better manage contingencies of all types by using operation logs and messaging, activating procedures and plans, managing assets and personnel, providing job descriptions and work-flow, forecasting risk and analysis, and employing outstanding briefing capabilities. Jim Morentz: The Dashboard - Management Tools for Briefing and Oversight: The Dashboard provides leadership with highlights of the on-going operations of the organization. Some of the Dashboard items use graphs to summarize the status of, for example, the availability of Assets. Amy, Slide 7 please. Amy Sebring: http://www.emforum.org/varena/essentech/slide07.htm Jim Morentz: Other Dashboard tools bring together a wide variety of textual and statistical information into a summary situation report. And still others provide spatial displays of geography or photos of an incident. Amy, Slide 8 please. Amy Sebring: http://www.emforum.org/varena/essentech/slide08.htm Jim Morentz: Together, all these Dashboard tools give top management as well as all personnel a complete picture of what's happening throughout the organization. You will have better informed staff, more able to make the timely and critical decisions that lead to success. Jim Morentz: Operations - The Key to Effective Response: Whether a minor traffic accident or one that results in a hazardous materials spill, building the Log of the incident response is critical to both effective management and legal accountability. Jim Morentz: The Operations section of Incident Master puts all your management tools in one convenient place. Amy, Slide 9 please. Amy Sebring: http://www.emforum.org/varena/essentech/slide09.htm Jim Morentz: You create the Log, post Messages about actions to it, make Task assignments, and track tasks to their completion. In addition, anytime you assign an Asset, deploy Personnel, complete a Checklist item, or work on a Task ... Jim Morentz: Incident Master automatically records that activity in the Log, freeing you from mundane record-keeping. Amy, Slide 10 please. Amy Sebring: http://www.emforum.org/varena/essentech/slide10.htm Jim Morentz: This provides a complete and accurate account of an event to inform decision-makers and responders in real-time throughout the incident and for post-incident audits and recommendations. Jim Morentz: Plans and Procedures - The Guide to Getting It Done Right: When a Log is opened, SOPs quickly are selected as the best ones to use as a guide to response. Amy, Slide 11 please. Amy Sebring: http://www.emforum.org/varena/essentech/slide11.htm Jim Morentz: Completing those SOPs makes an automatic entry back in the Log, completing the cycle of planning - responding - accounting that is essential to success. Jim Morentz: That's why Incident Master delivers such important capabilities in its Procedures section ... because your success in incident management depends on it. Jim Morentz: Assets - What You Protect and What You Use: Asset management in Incident Master is comprised of two interrelated functions. First for the owner of property who desires to protect, repair, and replace a facility to minimize non-productive time after an incident ... Jim Morentz: Incident Master allows you to compile information about the asset facility, people working there, infrastructure equipment located there, and status of availability. Amy, Slide 12 please. Amy Sebring: http://www.emforum.org/varena/essentech/slide12.htm Jim Morentz: Second, for the responder who calls upon assets to help end a situation successfully, Incident Master tracks the deployment of the asset on maps, its consumption, replacement costs, and the incident in which it is being used. Amy, Slide 13 please. Amy Sebring: http://www.emforum.org/varena/essentech/slide13.htm Jim Morentz: People - Your Most Valuable Resource: You need to use your people wisely, have them well trained, assure their professional certifications, understand their skills, and track their participation in incident management. Amy, Slide 14 please. Amy Sebring: http://www.emforum.org/varena/essentech/slide14.htm Jim Morentz: Incident Master does all this in order to make certain that your most valuable resources are protected and effective. But, above all, the operations management tools provide the best available means to assign personnel, track their performance, and record their actions automatically in the Log. Jim Morentz: Job Descriptions - Guide Your Staff to the Right Answers: Everyone has a job description. And in the emergency field it includes daily work and the critical tasks undertaken during an incident. Jim Morentz: What do I do today? What do I do in an incident? The answer to these questions varies according to the person asking them - and we believe that your software should be able to handle that variety. Amy, Slide 15 please. Amy Sebring: http://www.emforum.org/varena/essentech/slide15.htm Jim Morentz: As a result, you tailor Incident Master to meet the information management needs of the individual. A division director might need only to view the Dashboard and a personnel availability roster. A logistics specialist should be able to follow their SOPs and have exactly the right information to support every decision. Jim Morentz: Everyone can have his or her own Job Description in either a text listing format or a graphical format that provides instant links to exactly what they are supposed to do -- reducing training, speeding performance, and assuring accuracy. Jim Morentz: Impact Models - Forecasting Risk to Understand Response: Essential Technologies offers several Web-delivered predictive or assessment models that encourage accurate evaluation of the risk of hazardous events and the preparation for response. Jim Morentz: The models include the ALOHA chemical plume dispersion model developed by NOAA and EPA plus two models developed especially for Incident Master and other Essential software, BLAST! and NBC Warning! Jim Morentz: Amy, Slide 16 please. Amy Sebring: http://www.emforum.org/varena/essentech/slide16.htm Jim Morentz: Together these represent the finest analytical tools for chemical releases, bombings, and nuclear and biological terrorist releases. Jim Morentz: OK. Now that you've seen this overview, how do you get access to all this great information? Jim Morentz: The Incident Master application software, obviously, you have to purchase. (Sorry about that!) Jim Morentz: But, Today's Features on the Portal is available to anyone who registers at the site at http://www.incidentmaster.com (Don't you all rush out and do it now, there is still lot's more useful Q&A to come.) Jim Morentz: The whole portal is open only to all Essential Support Plan members who already own any version of Essential EHS or contingency management software, Portal subscribers, and authorized guests. Jim Morentz: For a limited time, however, we'll be offering access to the whole Portal to all of you who joined this forum. After registering at incidentmaster.com, follow the instructions to email AccountManager@Essential-Technologies.com and say you are from the EIIP discussion. Jim Morentz: In conclusion, I invite you to do as hundreds of people have already done and make http://www.incidentmaster.com your home page, bringing this important information every day to your desktop. Jim Morentz: The combination of content, collaboration, and application software is the future of emergency management, and you can jump-start the future today with Incident Master. Jim Morentz: Thank you for your attention. I'd be happy to answer any questions or take comments (except about my 1979 haircut!!). Amy Sebring: Thank you Jim. Audience please enter a question mark (?) to indicate you wish to be recognized, go ahead and compose your comment or question, but wait for recognition before hitting the enter key or clicking on Send. Amy Sebring: We now invite your questions/comments. Chris Waters: ? Amy Sebring: Chris, when you are ready please. Chris Waters: Are there any sites in the Charleston, SC area that have purchased the software … Chris Waters: and that I can contact? Jim Morentz: Our older, LAN and client server software is around there, but not Incident Master yet. Tony Redden: ? Amy Sebring: Tony when you are ready please. Tony Redden: Has the National Guard fielded this? Jim Morentz: They have our other software, but Incident Master is just now reaching the market. D. Seth Staker: ? Ed PearceCBCP: ? Amy Sebring: D. Seth please. Avagene Moore: ? D. Seth Staker: Have you any users that have fielded the software? Jim Morentz: The biggest upgrade we've had to date is FEMA ... Jim Morentz: and they are beginning deployment ... already in the HQ Ops Center Amy Sebring: Ed next please. Ed PearceCBCP: What about usefulness for the private sector? Corporate Business Continuity / Emergency Response? Jim Morentz: We have a petrochemical company that has come on board ... Jim Morentz: the whole product was changed significantly from our older government product .. Jim Morentz: as a result of our participation with numerous corporate BCP efforts over the years ... Jim Morentz: You'll find especially that asset management fits the "inside protection" and "outside support" models very well. Art Botterell: ? Amy Sebring: Avagene next please. Avagene Moore: What type of learning curve is required to get up to speed with the software? Is there a tutorial and online support? Cam King: ? Jim Morentz: This is very fast learning. We've cut our 3 day class to a day ... Jim Morentz: and people are being training on-line in half a day to begin effective operations ... Jim Morentz: we recently had an instance where a prospect was looking at the software, had an accident ... Jim Morentz: we created a version of the software on our servers and in 2 hours they had 5 people up and using it.... Jim Morentz: that's pretty exciting when compared to the struggle technology has previously forced on us. Amy Sebring: Online support Jim? Jim Morentz: We do most of our technical support by email... Jim Morentz: there is extensive on-line help that leads you through it ... Jim Morentz: and inside the portal for "users only" we will be conducting seminars like this one in the future. Amy Sebring: Thanks. Art next please. Art Botterell: Congrats, Jim... think you've nailed it this time... Art Botterell: Can you say a little about how users are ensuring reliable access to Incident Master over the Net? Steve Charvat: ? Jim Morentz: First of all, IntrAnet is important to understand for an EOC operation ... Jim Morentz: used inside a building or within LAN/WAN, this is just like "normal" software... Jim Morentz: Once you step outside into the Internet, then reliability is external and you have to be prepared ... Jim Morentz: Our customers are finding that the right ISP. a good connection (DSL, cable modem, and of course the higher speed connections) all assure reliability ... Jim Morentz: But, most important is to understand that sometimes you won't be able to connect ... Jim Morentz: which puts you right where you are today ... Rick Tobin: ? Jim Morentz: and when you CAN connect, the world is a beautiful place. Amy Sebring: Cam next please. Cam King: Jim - what is the purchase and maintenance costs for the programme? Jim Morentz: There are so many variables to this that we really need to ... Jim Morentz: give you an individualized answer. But Jim Morentz: it is the least expensive offering we've ever made ... Jim Morentz: It all depends on whether you own and operate the software, use an outside hosting organization, or host it through , for example, a state for all the counties. Amy Sebring: Steve next please. Amy Sebring: While we are waiting for Steve, perhaps you could elaborate on the licensing options Jim? Jim Morentz: OK Jim Morentz: You can purchase the software and your only continuing costs are for annual maintenance … Jim Morentz: You can lease the software through a third-party hosting organization which means that you pay (usually monthly) for access to the software. Steve Charvat: This may sound like a loaded question, but Jim, can you please tell us, in a few short sentences, what differentiates your new product from your competitors? You don't have to use brand names, just want to know what functions puts you guys on the "cutting edge." Jim Morentz: Steve, a loaded question from you? Never! Jim Morentz: Sure. Jim Morentz: Three things ... Jim Morentz: first, the feedback from our installed base of more than 13,000 licensees in 30 countries around the world helped direction the development of this product. Jim Morentz: Second, Incident Master is used interchangeably with our older product, meaning that they share the same database ... Jim Morentz: (Access, Oracle, SQL Server) ... Jim Morentz: meaning that when someone sitting on a LAN with the EIS/GEM product saves a record, the Incident Master user... Jim Morentz: located on the front seat of a car or at home ... Jim Morentz: sees the results of that information .... Jim Morentz: This means that all our current customers move seamlessly into the Web era. Jim Morentz: Third, we have raised the bar in terms of executive presentation of information. .. Jim Morentz: Sure, there are still all the databases and lists, but the Dashboard and some of the things I didn't show you provide ... Jim Morentz: the best summary briefing tools that I've ever seen. ... Steve Charvat: Thanks Jim! Jim Morentz: Does my enthusiasm show? Amy Sebring: Rick Tobin next, and that will be the last we will have time for .... Amy Sebring: but you are welcome to stick around if Jim will. Amy Sebring: Rick, when you are ready please. Rick Tobin2: Have you considered development of wireless applications so staff with PDAs could participate remotely? Jim Morentz: I'm good for a little while longer Jim Morentz: Definitely. Jim Morentz: We did ... Jim Morentz: that for the first time with our Y2K Command Center software ... Jim Morentz: you could report incidents, select protocols to follow, and really expand the scope of response with a Palm Pilot ... Jim Morentz: I fully expect to have that capability operating with some of the crucial parts of Incident Master this summer. Amy Sebring: Jim, any hints you would like to give us about your future development? Jim Morentz: Our Web development will move into more daily activities, especially .. Jim Morentz: for corporate users.... Jim Morentz: Workplace accidents (which occur in corporate and government) and the linkages to OSHA reporting requirements... Jim Morentz: are going to be a real time-saver for everyday use. .. Jim Morentz: and this fits in with the rest of our suite.... Jim Morentz: Also, our associates in Canada are focusing on the corrections .... Jim Morentz: institutions as a market with some excellent add-ons to ... Jim Morentz: our products. Amy Sebring: Excellent presentation Jim. Thank you very much for being with us today. We very much appreciate your time and effort. Please stand by a moment while we take care of some business. Amy Sebring: We will have a text transcript posted later today, and reformatted versions with links to the slides at the end of the week. Amy Sebring: If you read our monthly newsletter for March, we announced that unless we found some funding for this effort, we were going to have to call it quits. Avagene and I have been working at our usual pace since Oct. 1, 2000 with no pay and we can no longer manage it. Amy Sebring: Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, we have been unable to find a funding source that would allow us to keep this a free service to the Users, so today's session is the last until further notice. Amy Sebring: We will leave the site up, and will keep the mailing list functional. If anything changes we will notify you via the mailing list. We certainly hope it will and that we will be back! We love doing this and believe in its value. Amy Sebring: We have been extremely grateful to all the participants who are the ones who have made it a success in non-financial terms! Not only all our speakers who have been willing to donate their time, but you the "audience." Amy Sebring: We especially appreciate our "pledgers" and other regulars who have been with us throughout the years. And we are always delighted to see the new faces that continue to come in. Amy Sebring: Before I start blubbering, I will turn it over to Ava. Avagene Moore: Thanks, Amy. Jim, thank you so much for your presentation. We wish you continued success with Essential Technologies. Avagene Moore: FYI: there were 57 people who logged in today. Very good audience! Avagene Moore: This is an emotional day for both Amy and me. The EIIP Virtual Forum is undoubtedly the most rewarding work I have done -- I am sure I speak for Amy as well. Avagene Moore: There is little more I can add to Amy's words. We are still hopeful and will let you know if we find funding to support us. If any of you have any ideas or are able to fund our efforts in part or whole, please let us know. Avagene Moore: For our Partners and EIIP Mail Lists, there will be a newsletter for April -- please look for that the first of next week. It will be available from the homepage as well. Avagene Moore: My sincere gratitude to you, the audience, for your loyal support and participation. Avagene Moore: I would be remiss if I didn't mention how much I appreciate the work that Amy has done the past 4 years. Thank you, Amy! This would not have been possible without you. Avagene Moore: Also, Isabel McCurdy and Lori Wieber have been of great assistance to us working behind the scenes. And there have been a number of other interns who worked with us over the years as well. Thanks to you all! Avagene Moore: Back to you, Amy. Amy Sebring: Thank you Ava. Thanks to all our participants today. We will adjourn the session for now, but you are welcome to remain for open discussion. You no longer need to use question marks. Please help us express our appreciation to Jim for today's presentation.