Washington State To Spend $1.4 Million On Emergency Response System For Public Infrastucture
Plans for development of a Critical Incident Planning and Mapping System (CIPMS) for the State of Washington have een announced by the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs (WASPC).
The statewide system, available on laptop computers or via the Internet, will provide police, fire, and other first responders with instant access to more than 300 data points per facility, including tactical response plans, satellite imagery, exterior and interior photos, floor plans, utility shut-offs, and hazardous chemical locations.
The CIPMS system will provide police, fire, and other emergency responders with critical facility information allowing them to save lives and mitigate property damage.
The program is the result of a bill passed by the state legislature in 2003 that delegated WASPC the responsibility to create and operate a statewide Critical Incident Planning and Mapping System.
Congress appropriated more than $1.5 million to initially fund the program in 2004. In June 2005 WASPC issued a Request for Proposal that resulted in proposals from 10 companies nationwide.
The proposals went through a formal review process, after which WASPC awarded the contract to Seattle-based Prepared Response, Inc. (PRI), which is expected to begin work on the project later this month.
Under an earlier $3.3 million contract with WASPC, PRI “digitally mapped” more than 400 Washington state high schools, a project that was completed this July. The company is now mapping the state’s 1,275 middle and elementary schools under a recently awarded contract whose initial funding was provided by the 2005 budget passed by the legislature. # # # About WASPC WASPC is an acronym for the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs. The association was founded in 1963 and consists of executive and top management personnel from law enforcement agencies statewide. WASPC is the only association of its kind in the nation combining representatives from local, state, and federal law enforcement into a single body, working toward a common goal. WASPC’s function is to provide specific materials and services to all law enforcement agencies in the state, members and non-members alike. The 1975 legislature made WASPC a legal entity designating the association a “combination of units of local government”. WASPC regularly partners with other organizations and agencies to assist with and enhance efforts regarding public safety.
