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Send Word Now and BNET form Partnership to Facilitate Mobile Alerting for Corporate Emergency Access System
Send Word Now , the provider of on-demand alerting and response services, has announced a partnership with Business Network of Emergency Resources Inc. (BNET) the ‘not-for-profit’ corporation dedicated to establishing practical, effective emergency and crisis management solutions for businesses and the designer of the innovative Corporate Emergency Access System (CEAS). This new alliance integrates BNET’s CEAS with Send Word Now’s real-time mobile alerts via text and voice messages on cell phones, BlackBerry and Treo devices.
CEAS is a credentialing program for businesses, operating in conjunction with local government. The program helps facilitate access for critical business employees to their workplace quickly following an emergency event such as the recent steam pipe explosion in Manhattan, which resulted in travel and access restrictions. By enabling business to initiate a re-entry and recovery process as quickly as possible, CEAS allows companies to maintain core IT systems, meet regulatory requirements and secure critical data and records in the aftermath of an emergency; all with the aim of continuing the functions of business throughout or soon after a disaster. The CEAS system together with Send Word Now’s on-demand alerting and response service were used in this summer’s steam pipe explosion on Lexington Avenue in New York City. Steam and mud were forced from the ground near Grand Central Station on East 41st Street from Third to Lexington Avenue forcing people to evacuate the area. With the Send Word Now service, BNET was able to send text or voice alerts to CEAS members’ cell phones and PDAs. They were notified immediately when CEAS was activated by the City and were given status updates on the situation.
“We were extremely impressed with the deployment of the CEAS program at the site of the Manhattan steam pipe explosion, and were pleased that the Send Word Now on-demand alerting and response service was such a vital part of our communications,” said Peter Picarillo, Executive Director of BNET, Inc. “Response to an emergency is clearly more than just evacuating people; it is also about getting people back in. This emergency situation demonstrated to us and to all the CEAS participating businesses that the City of New York takes business recovery very seriously.”
“Our partnership with BNET is a natural fit, as the CEAS program functions even more effectively with the mobile alerting and response capabilities that Send Word Now supplies,” said Tom Shoemaker, CEO of Send Word Now. “As CEAS helps businesses to recover after an emergency situation, communication and coordination is vital, and we’re pleased that BNET has chosen to partner with Send Word Now to facilitate that communication.”
In addition to New York City, BNET’s CEAS program has also been implemented in Buffalo, New York, Boston and Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Stamford, Connecticut. More cities like Philadelphia, Pennsylvania are expected to participate in the near future. Any city, county or state can adopt CEAS through a written agreement with BNET. Once adopted by a municipality, any business can elect to participate in the program, assigning a designated number of CEAS cards to critical employees or contractors, prior to any emergency or disaster.
