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Intrado Partners With Summit County, Utah, to Provide Safety for 2002 Olympic Winter Games
SUMMIT COUNTY, Utah, Jan. 10 -- Intrado Inc., (Nasdaq: TRDO), the nation's leading provider of solutions that manage and deliver
mission-critical information for telecommunications providers and public safety organizations, and officials of Summit County, UT, today announced that they
are cooperating on a telephone-based Emergency Preparedness Network (EPN) service that will improve the safety of county residents. The timing of this
effort is especially important because Summit County will host 36 qualifying and competition Olympic Winter Games events.
"Rapid communication is absolutely critical in a crisis situation," said Lieutenant Joe Offret, spokesperson for the Summit County Sheriff's Department Public
Information Office. "The EPN service helps us to make certain that the influx of visitors during the Games does not impact our ability to protect our citizens."
By utilizing technology created by Intrado for its Emergency Warning and Evacution(SM) (EWE(SM)) service, EPN permits a public safety agency to provide
residents with immediate notification of emergencies such as natural disasters or civil disturbances 24 hours a day. The service's flexibility allows officials to
highlight on a computer map the precise geographical areas most at risk and notify individuals living in those areas through the delivery of emergency
telephone messages. Delivering up to 2,000 calls per minute, EPN reduces the time required to manage and route messages to the public, saving precious
minutes when time is critical.
2002 marks the first time that telephone notification technology is being used by the Olympic Winter Games to enhance the safety of the residents.
Yesterday the service was tested in a simulation -- consisting of four separate outreach events -- that reached out to approximately 4,500 telephone numbers
located in Summit County. A pre-recorded message was sent to those telephone numbers in the test area. The message explained that the County was
testing a new emergency preparedness network and asked for feedback from citizens through a toll-free telephone number. Summit County, Utah,
Comprehensive Emergency Management and the Salt Lake Organizing Committee (SLOC) provided funding for the countywide system.
The service is easily and securely activated using either a Web-based Command Center or by calling Intrado's Emergency Call Relay Center (ECRC). To
activate, officials simply record the notification message and define the boundaries of the area where the emergency is in effect. The system then launches
the recorded message only to telephone numbers within the emergency zone. Since more than 90% of households today have at least one telephone, EPN
is a more effective notification service than traditional solutions, such as sirens and television broadcast alerts. By reaching a greater number of individuals
and businesses quickly, the service provides individuals in danger more time to take precautionary measures if needed.
"Intrado is pleased to leverage our experience with 9-1-1 services and emergency notification to improve public safety -- providing an effective, reliable
notification tool in times of crisis," said Teri DePuy, vice president and general manager of Intrado's Direct Business Unit. "During the 2002 Olympic Winter
Games, and throughout the year, public safety officials need tools like these to help them notify the public quickly, efficiently and economically -- whether it's
a critical emergency alert, an informational update or a commercial notice."
The EPN service is currently operating in 17 counties across the United States. EPN was successfully used to notify citizens in Boulder County, Colo., of the
Walker Ranch and Eldorado Canyon forest fires in September 2000. It also warned and assisted in the successful evacuation of more than 2,100 Loveland,
Colo. residents during the Bobcat forest fires in June 2000. More recently, EPN has been used to warn community residents of escaped felons, hostage
situations, and other criminal activities. Local governments have received community gratitude for "all clear" messages and quickly resolved missing child
instances.
About Intrado
Founded in 1979, Intrado Inc. (Nasdaq: TRDO) is pioneering the technology of Informed Response(TM) by providing telecommunications companies and
public safety organizations with accurate, efficiently delivered, mission-critical information -- enabling them to respond effectively, anywhere and anytime,
regardless of location, device or protocol.
Intrado's industry knowledge in data management, network transactions, call handling and notification technology reduces the effort, cost, time and
complexity associated with providing reliable communications information for 9-1-1, safety and commercial applications. Intrado recently received International
Organization of Standardization (ISO) 9001-2000 certification. To receive Intrado press releases and company updates via e-mail, please register at Intrado's
Web site: http://www.intrado.com .
Safe Harbor Statement Under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
This announcement contains expectations and other forward-looking statements regarding Intrado's future financial performance and the ability to deploy
Intrado's Emergency Warning and Evacuation(SM) system and Emergency Preparedness Network on broader scale. Readers are cautioned that actual
results may differ materially from the forward-looking statements in this release as a result of certain factors, including: unforeseen delays in the
implementation or market acceptance of our Emergency Warning and Evacuation(SM) system and Emergency Preparedness Network, the amount and
timing of expenditures necessary to deploy these systems, and other factors identified from time to time in filings with the Securities and Exchange
Commission ("SEC").
Moreover, Intrado's future financial results may vary significantly from Intrado's expectations based on a number of factors, including: (1) the lengthy sales
cycles associated with Intrado's services and products, (2) Intrado's reliance on large contracts from a limited number of significant customers, (3) rate of
adoption of 9-1-1 technology by wireless carriers and other potential customers, (4) continuing technological and regulatory changes in the
telecommunications industry that may affect both Intrado and its customers, (5) market acceptance of new and existing products and services, (6) Intrado's
ability to accurately predict costs related to new products, (7) technical difficulties and network downtime, including that caused by unauthorized access to
Intrado's systems, (8) the ability to integrate new customers and assets acquired in acquisitions, such as the May 2001 acquisition of Lucent Public Safety
Systems and (9) additional factors described in Intrado's Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2000 (as filed with the SEC on March 29, 2001 under
Intrado's former name, SCC Communications Corp.) and Intrado's Registration Statement on Form S-3 (as filed with the SEC on July 27, 2001).
Existing and prospective investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof.
Intrado undertakes no obligation to update or revise the information in this press release, whether as a result of new information, future events or
circumstances, or otherwise.
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