SYNOPSIS – 440 emergency service agencies respond to wireless homeland security study. Study reveals
significant communication liabilities with national first responders. For example, 96% (X2 [1, 439] = 370.95,
[p< .01]) of emergency service organizations that responded to the study were unable to guarantee that their
first responder field forces received information regarding critical emergency messages (i.e., wireless
messages sent but with no guarantee that the messages were received). This study assesses and analyzes
existing liabilities in wireless messaging for emergency organizations, offers a prototype solution addressing
these liabilities, monitors and tracks field studies and results from prototype testing and offers a conclusion.
The objective of this study is to accelerate the process of national emergency services moving away from
antiquated technology in wireless messaging and toward newer, more powerful and reliable forms of
communication. This study was driven by hundreds of requests over the last several years from emergency
services organizations looking for an optimal method for communicating departmentally and across
departments with widely distributed and mobile field forces in the event of a pending or unfolding
disaster.
WESTLAKE SOFTWARE, INC. and its management are internationally recognized leading experts in the
wireless data management and wireless consulting market. Westlake was recently featured as a guest on
CNN Financial News, appeared in such prestigious publications as Mobile Computing Magazine,
Computerworld and the Ventura County Register (headlining) for saving the state of California millions of
dollars by using wireless technology to prevent rolling blackouts during the energy crises of 2001 and 2002.
Alan Gould, President and CEO of Westlake Software, Inc. is recognized as an early pioneer and innovator
in wireless data, having founded the largest wireless software company in the world (Silverlake
Communications, Inc.) prior to its acquisition in 1998. More than 500,000 customers used Silverlake’s
technology worldwide. These included several thousand police, fire, and emergency services departments
throughout North America and abroad. Mr. Gould continues to support the longest running and most
successful wireless carrier training programs for solution selling and return investment modeling in
history; with over 25,000 wireless representatives, managers, and executives in attendance.
