A June 2013 lightning strike in Arizona ignited a devastating wildfire that burned thousands of acres and more than 100 buildings and resulted in the deaths of 19 firefighters from the nearby Prescott Fire Department. When the U.S. Department of Defense's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) wanted to test a prototype technology for keeping track of troops—and applying that technology to first responders—it chose Prescott for the demonstration to honor the memory of those firefighters.

Called Fire Line Advanced Situational Awareness for Handhelds (FLASH), the prototype system includes tablet computers, aircraft-mounted sensors, and radios. DARPA aims to get this technology into the hands of firefighters already battling wildfires as soon as possible.

Avwatch was a participant in creating the technology and, for the demonstration, built a high-speed tactical network across a 100-square-mile area that included mountains, canyons, and heavily forested areas. This solution allowed firefighters in the field, as well as those in command centers, to see real-time positions of all responders, see real-time surface and aerial imagery, and collaborate through voice, text, and real-time file exchanges within their own secure network.

In addition, Avwatch provided a remote tactical network connection to DARPA's offices in Arlington, Virginia, providing observers there with the same real-time situational awareness capabilities firefighters in the field possessed.

The exercises also demonstrated how a lost and injured hiker might be quickly located using the technology. In this photo, a search-and-rescue crew learns how to use the hardware and software in the field to triangulate signals from the hiker's 911 call. The hiker was found in just 15 minutes.

See video of the FLASH demonstration via the Security Management app for Apple and Android tablets.

PARTNERSHIPS AND DEALS

Access has acquired The File Annex, Inc., to increase the geographical coverage of its records and information management service.

Agent Vi and Samsung Techwin are integrating their products to allow users to run Agent Vi video analytics solutions on Samsung Techwin network cameras.

AVG Technologies N.V. has acquired Location Labs to broaden its position in the mobile security business.

Axis Communications and ASSA ABLOY are collaborating to launch the AXIS A4011-E Reader, which is compatible with numerous card formats.

Brady Brand Protection has created a product authentication system to protect Element Case smartphone and tablet accessories from counterfeiting.

BT and Traceall Global will work together to help customers increase control of assets in the supply chain.

Buffalo Computer Graphics has partnered with Gentrifi GPS to enhance tracking of assets, resources, and personnel in BCG DisasterLAN software.

The Unilever laboratory and research center at Port Sunlight in the United Kingdom has upgraded its security system with the latest CAP IP intercom stations from Castel, installed by Grange Fire and Security.

Code Blue Corporation and Vigi­tron, Inc., have announced a strategic partnership to improve the networking of emergency communication systems.

Suprema biometric devices can be paired with Honeywell's Pro-Watch security management suite through the ENTERTECH SYSTEMS BioConnect application.

EyeLock and Sticky Password have created a solution for logging into digital platforms using EyeLock's myris authentication instead of a password.

G4S Technology has entered into a master services agreement with Cox Enterprises for nationwide system integration, new product installation, and maintenance services.

Genetec and Mercury Security are offering streamlined integration of Mercury controller panels with Genetec access control.

HID Global smartphone access technology is being piloted as an access solution for Vodafone in Auckland, New Zealand.

Hikvision USA and Smartvue Corporation are collaborating to provide a cloud-based video surveillance service and camera-to-cloud solution.

Syntegro and Idesco are collaborating to embed Idesco's high-security protocol into Syntegro's access control software.

IDV Solutions, LLC, is providing its risk visualization software to the Information Technology Disaster Resource Center for use in its National Disaster Relief Coordination Center.

International SOS and Vismo have formed a partnership for an enhanced solution for monitoring, tracking, and assisting travelers.

Employees of Kimray Inc. are using the Irving Burton Associates In Case of Crisis emergency preparedness mobile app.

Iveda has secured a contract to update communications, alarm control, and video surveillance systems for the Taiwan Stock Exchange Information Center in Taipei. MEGAsys will collaborate with TECO Electric ad Machinery Co., Ltd., on design and integration.

GuardTrax has integrated its officer phone app with Milestone XProtect video management software.

The Morse Watchmans KeyWatcher Touch key control system now integrates with C•CURE 9000 security and event management system from Software House.

NICE Systems is integrating its PSIM and situation management solution with AMAG Technology's Symmetry Access Control system.

Meridian IT and nScaled have entered into a partnership for end-to-end business continuity and disaster recovery solutions.

Profile Solutions, Inc., will represent, integrate, and sell access control solutions from Paladin Electronic Sales under an exclusive worldwide license agreement.

Quantum Secure has formed a value-added reseller alliance with Siemens Industry, Inc., Building Technologies Division.

SmartWitness and Wavesight Wireless Solutions Pvt. Ltd. have signed an agreement for Wavesight to supply the SmartWitness range of transportation solutions to the Indian market.

STANLEY Security has integrated its OMNILOCK Wi-Q wireless lock product line with the Key Systems, Inc. Global Facilities Management System.

SureView Systems has integrated the mobiDEOS UCNE range of surveillance systems into its Immix video-based automation software.

Martin Systems, Inc., chose an automatic vehicle identification system from TagMaster North America, Inc., for an outdoor athletic stadium in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

Ultra Electronics AEP and REALSEC have signed an agreement for AEP to distribute the REALSEC product line.

Vimicro International Corporation will form a strategic alliance with Inspur Group to coordinate efforts in China's video surveillance market.

WeDo Technologies announced that 7-Eleven has selected WeDo's RAID 7 software solution for its Mexican operations.​

Government Contracts

The U.S. Technical Support Working Group has awarded funding to 908 Devices for development of a handheld device for field identification and detection of trace explosives.

Cherokee County School District of Georgia has chosen video security solutions from American Dynamics.

Chemring Technology Solutions has completed a multilane underside vehicle search system for Gatwick Airport in the United Kingdom.

D-Link implemented a security system for Liberty-Eylau Independent School District in Texas. Within days of the system's completion, it helped authorities identify and capture vandals in a school.

FaceFirst has expanded its facial recognition services to an additional terminal at Tocumen International Airport in Panama.

Hikvision USA worked with the City of Philadelphia to equip more than 600 recreation centers with its cameras.

Implant Sciences Corporation has sold trace detectors for explosives and drugs to Incheon International Airport Corporation in South Korea.

In collaboration with systems integrator Scotshield, ISM has developed a custody security management system for Police Scotland at the new Kittybrewster facility in Aberdeen.

The Mariner Group provided situational awareness support to the U.S. Coast Guard to augment security efforts of Maryland's Natural Resources Police and other agencies for Baltimore's Star-Spangled Spectacular and Saila­bration.

The U.S. Government Accountability Office has selected MicroPact Inc. to deploy entellitrak as the criminal investigative management platform for the Forensic Audits and Investigative Service.

On-Net Surveillance Systems, Inc., announced that the Atlanta Public School System has implemented its physical security information management, enabling the Atlanta Police Department to access surveillance cameras at the schools in the event of an emergency.

Qubitekk has received a grant to develop unhackable encryption technology from the U.S. Department of Energy's Cybersecurity for Energy Delivery Systems program.

The City of Huntington Beach, California, and systems integrator CelPlan Technologies installed a wireless video surveillance network based on Axis cameras and RADWIN wireless systems.

The Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Control has purchased fingerprint-recognition prescription lockboxes from Rx Safes, Inc., to prevent prescription drug abuse.

A new security network in Aberdeen Harbor, Scotland, includes a high-capacity backhaul from Siklu, which was recommended by distributor Purdicom.

Kent Fire and Rescue Service in the United Kingdom has chosen the Steria­STORM command-and-control system from Steria for better collaboration with the Kent Police and more efficient emergency service.

Trend Micro Incorporated will help support INTERPOL with knowledge, resources, and tactics to decrease global cybercrime.

Vimicro International Corporation announced that its joint venture—Shanxi Zhongtianxin Science and Technology Co. Ltd.—has won a contract to provide video cameras to the Traffic Police Detachment of Taiyuan.

Vision-Box has deployed mul­tibi­o­metric border clearance eGates at Hamad International Airport in Qatar.​

AWARDS AND CERTIFICATIONS

The ASIS Accolades awards for security's best new products were given at the ASIS 60th Annual Seminar and Exhibits in Atlanta. The winning companies were American Science and Engineering, AlertEnterprise, Ameristar Perimeter Security, Axis Communications, HID Global, NICE Systems, Quantum Technology Sciences, Senstar, Tyco Security Products, and Xtralis. For more information on the winners, visit SM Online at www.sm.asisonline.org.

Axis Communications was named as one of the best small and medium workplaces in the United States by Great Place to Work.

Digital Ally, Inc., announced that its initial patent on its VuLink connectivity system has been approved.

Finsphere Corporation announced that it has been granted a patent for a system and method for identity protection using mobile device network derived location pattern recognition.

G4S Secure Solutions was named to the Workforce 100 list as one of the best companies for human resources programs.

Hikvision USA video surveillance equipment at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri, a U.S. Army facility, has been awarded a Risk Management Framework certification by the U.S. Department of Defense, determining it to be impervious to malware.

HID Global announced that its operations in Galway, Ireland, have been certified to the ISO 14001-2004 Environmental Management Standard.

RADAR software from ID Experts has won the HP-IAPP Privacy Innovation Award for Technology from the International Association of Privacy Professionals.

Secure Network Systems, LLC, announced that its CRITSEC access control system was approved as a fully compliant FICAM Solution by U.S. General Services Administration.

WhiteCanyon Software announced that its WipeDrive Enterprise was approved by the NATO Communications and Information Agency.​

ANNOUNCEMENTS

The Chesapeake Crescent Initiative has selected Newark, Delaware, for the first pilot in its Safe+Smart Cities project.

CNL Software has opened a new office in Ashburn, Virginia, for sales, delivery, and training services.

Eyewitness Surveillance has launched a new website with more information on the company's services and solutions.

Fluent Home is launching a new business division know as Fluent Solution to provide customized physical security systems to businesses in select markets in North America.

G4S Technology has opened the Energy Center of Excellence in Chicago to showcase its physical security capabilities and products.

HACKJACKET announced the complete rebranding of its corporate identity and website from Federated Networks to HACKJACKET.

The Herjavec Group has acquired Sentry Metrics.

Microsoft Global Security is implementing the Physical-Logical Access and Interoperability Specification from the Physical Security Interoperability Alliance.

Middle Atlantic Products has unveiled a new Web-based configuration tool to help customers choose and purchase customized systems for their needs.

ONVIF has announced that intelbras, a Brazilian company, has joined the standardization initiative, which now has members on all populated continents of the world.

PPM 2000 has launched a new Integrated Solutions Division for expanding, managing, and maintaining its growing portfolio of integrations for its incident management software.

Security-Net, Inc., has formed a new committee called OPS-Net to provide greater support to clients and improve customer satisfaction.

SightLogix has initiated a new strategic partner program, with Axis Communications as the first member.

STANLEY Security announced that it will donate part of proceeds from purchases of its BEST, PRECISION, and STANLEY Commercial Hardware to the Wounded Warrior Project.

Tyco Security Products will bring its CEM access control solutions to the Americas, after 25 years of selling them in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia.

ASIS NEWS​

ASIS, NCMEC Develop Training Module

ASIS International and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) are collaborating on the development of an online training module focusing on what private security professionals need to know about child victimization. The training is currently being piloted in both face-to-face and online formats to be launched this month.

"Many of our more than 25,000 U.S.-based members are in positions to observe, identify, and assist children who may be victims in their places of business. This training is critical to ensure that members, as well as their staff, have the knowledge to take the appropriate action and to support local law enforcement in keeping our children safe and secure," states 2014 ASIS President Rich­ard E. Widup, Jr., CPP.

Kristen Anderson, NCMEC executive director of training, says she sees it as a win-win venture. "This is a force multi­plier for law enforcement. Pro­viding training and building awareness for private security professionals means there are thousands more eyes and ears across the country belonging to people who may observe, report, and potentially intervene on behalf of a child."

The one-hour, self-paced module will discuss the nature and scope of missing and exploited children in the United States, what the private security officer needs to know to assist law enforcement, aspects of victim behavior, and how to access additional resources. Covenant Aviation Security LLC and G4S Secure Solutions (USA) Inc. have hosted face-to-face pilots of the developing program to assist ASIS and NCMEC in finalizing content.

"By completing this training, security personnel and law enforcement personnel can quickly move on a coordinated response, saving valuable time when minutes really matter," says Drew Levine, president, G4S North America. "It is a privilege to be a part of this public-private partnership to help find missing and exploited children."

Chief Frank Kitzerow, president, Flo­rida Police Chief Association, who has made strengthening the relationship between law enforcement and private security one of his top priorities, says "it is my hope that through this collaboration we are able to build stronger working relationships between the private and public sectors so that we can enhance our future services to all of our communities."

This initiative follows the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between ASIS and NCMEC in January 2013.

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children is the leading 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization working with law enforcement, families, and the professionals who serve them on issues relating to missing and sexually exploited children. Authorized by Congress to serve as the nation's clearinghouse on these issues, NCMEC operates a hotline, 1-800-THE-LOST® (1-800-843-5678), and has assisted law enforcement in the recovery of more than 196,000 children.

Meet the 2015 ASIS Board of Directors

The new members of the Board Management Committee of the ASIS Board of Directors have taken on their new roles. The president in 2015 is Dave N. Tyson, CPP, senior director of global information security, business process and technology, S. C. Johnson & Son, Inc., of Racine, Wisconsin. (See an interview with the new president on page 54.) The president-elect is David C. Davis, CPP, senior manager, Northrop Grumman of Fairfax, Virginia, and the treasurer is Thomas J. Langer, CPP, vice president of security, BAE Systems, Inc., of Arlington, Virginia. Joining the Board Management Committee as secretary is Richard E. Chase, CPP, PCI, PSP, vice president of security, safety, and environmental health for General Atomics and its affiliates in San Diego, California. Richard E. Widup, Jr., CPP, who was the 2014 ASIS president and who is associate director, global corporate security, North America, Mead Johnson Nutrition, Evansville, Indiana, has become chairman of the board.

The following board members continue to serve on the 2015 ASIS Board of Directors: Christina Duffey, CPP, vice president operations, Paragon Security, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Godfried Hendriks, CPP, managing director and consultant, GOING Consultancy, BV, Zeist, The Netherlands; Richard F. Lisko, CPP, vice president of business development, AlliedBarton Security Services, Houston, Texas; Joseph H. McDonald, CPP, PSP, CSO, Switch Communications Group, Las Vegas, Nevada.

Darryl R. Branham, CPP, director of Global Security for Avinet, Inc., of Phoenix, Arizona, will be rejoining the ASIS Board of Directors for a second term of office. New to the Board are Jaime P. Owens, CPP, security branch supervisor, Panama Canal Authority of Panama, and John A. Petruzzi, Jr., CPP, vice president, enterprise security operations, Time Warner Cable, New York City.