Fire Planning Associate’s, Inc., Blazemark Software Integral to the Success of Recent UICDS Information Sharing Demonstration

Pre-Incident planning technology developed by Fire Planning Associates, Inc played a critical role in the April 29th demonstration conducted at the Virginia Emergency Operations Center in Richmond, VA. Along with 22 other information technology providers, Fire Planning Associates’ Blazemark internet-based software tool provided
emergency responder access to preplans for different incident scenarios.

Mr. Bart Krauss, President of Fire Planning Associates, stated “we were proud to be chosen as one of the key participants in this demonstration and applaud the initiative of the Department of Homeland Security in creating the Unified Incident Command and Decision Support (UICDS) project and in conducting this key pilot demonstration in conjunction with the Virginia Emergency Center Operations.”

Chip Mahoney, SAIC Project Manager for UICDS, said “The UICDS prototype demonstration illustrated how a wide variety of applications can share information through a diverse set of interfaces, data formats and networks using non-proprietary, open standards. From longstanding applications like computer-aided dispatch and asset management to more recent video surveillance and detection technologies to innovative new situational awareness tools, the UICDS Architecture Specification accommodates the information exchanges emergency managers and responders need to help save lives, protect property, and minimize economic loss.”

UICDS is a middleware foundation that enables commercial and government incident
management technologies to share information and support decisions for the National Response Framework and National Incident Management to prevent, protect, respond, and recover from natural, technological, and terrorist events. UICDS is sponsored by the Science and Technology Directorate of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and is being executed through a contract with prime contractor Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC).
Fire Planning Associates, with offices in Bucks County, PA, and New York City, are the
designers and developers of Blazemark preplans assisting emergency response and facility management personnel with quickly developing an incident action plan, maximizing firefighter effectiveness and safety and aiding in fire investigation. Blazemark also plays a critical role in helping corporations deal with emergencies as the front end to their business continuity plans and is used by major corporations on a global basis.

For More Information Contact:
Bart Krauss – President
Greg Jakubowski, Vice President, CSP, FSFPE
P.O. Box 446, Washington Crossing, PA., 18977
215-/21-6260
bartk@fireplanningassociates.com