Wireless Mesh Connects UK Mobile Incident Response Vehicles for Instant, Reliable Emergency Communications

Excelerate Technology Uses Firetide Wireless Infrastructure Mesh Technology to
Network Next-Generation Emergency Response Vehicles Designed to Respond to Major
Incidents
LOS GATOS, Calif.--(Business Wire)--
Next-generation emergency response vehicles in the UK will soon hit the road
equipped with always-on network technologies capable of transmitting and
receiving real-time video, voice and data feeds in a wide variety of formats.
The Mobile Incident Response Vehicles, or MIRVs, were designed by Cardiff,
Wales-based Excelerate Technology - the leading UK information, communications
and technology provider for emergency service organizations - and feature
wireless infrastructure mesh technology from Los Gatos, Calif.-based Firetide
Inc. The leading developer of wireless mesh infrastructure networks, Firetide
provides the advanced tools required to create ad-hoc networks that can transfer
critical data between medical vehicles and personnel within and around "hot
zones" during a major hazardous incident.

Excelerate developed its MIRV systems to satisfy goals prescribed within the
UK`s Hazardous Area Response Team (HART) initiative. HART was created to
identify new ways of allowing ambulance personnel access to the "inner cordon" -
the hot zone - when an emergency event requires the support of mobile medical
teams. Prior to the initiative, ambulances and staff were required to remain
outside the primary incident area where potential contamination was not present
until other agencies could arrive and declare an area free of hazardous
materials. The increasing threat of chemical, biological and other events have
encouraged health and security officials to elevate the role of emergency
medical response services to include the inner cordon.

"Medical teams entering the hot zone need the support of technologies capable of
assisting the most rapid response," says David Savage, chief executive officer
of Excelerate Technology. "These are the most comprehensively equipped MIRVs
ever commissioned. Ambulance Service vehicles incorporating our systems now
include the technologies and wireless network intelligence to help emergency
service teams manage incidents directly at the scene as well as react to
changing conditions to improve risk assessment and threat management."

The list of features in an Excelerate MIRV reads like that of a major
broadcasting station. Each includes a handful of LCD displays; satellite
communications; private GSM networks; PBX; optical, thermal and body-worn CCTVs;
and more. Critical to bringing the data together and helping emergency teams
rapidly coordinate, Firetide`s wireless infrastructure mesh backbone provides
ambulances with reliable and sophisticated networking for distributing
information between vehicles on the move.

Firetide`s solutions, which include self-forming Ethernet-based wireless
networks, allow network administrators to quickly set-up IP-based components
designed for use within a mobile network. No matter where they are installed or
how fast they`re moving, devices connected to Firetide nodes such as video
cameras, satellite receivers, recording devices and even vehicles themselves can
easily recognize and pass critical real-time data between one another according
to predetermined rules. "During an emergency, our vehicles need to support
personnel and make information instantly available anywhere it`s needed," says
Savage. "Firetide gives us that benefit so we can focus on the emergency at hand
rather than some glitch in the network."

"We believe this is the most comprehensive project of its kind in Europe," says
Bo Larsson, chief executive officer of Firetide. "This deployment for the HART
initiative provides convincing testament to the superior technology of our mesh
infrastructure, even in the most challenging environments. It also validates
that real-time wireless communications enabled by Firetide is both reliable and
instantaneous, putting advanced applications within reach of first responders
tasked with saving lives and protecting communities."

About Firetide Inc.

Firetide is the leading provider of wireless infrastructure mesh networks that
enable concurrent video, voice, and data for municipal, public safety, and
industrial applications. Firetide provides reliable high performance wireless
infrastructure mesh and access solutions for video surveillance, Internet
access, public safety networks and temporary networks wherever rapid deployment,
mobility and ease of installation are required. Headquartered in Los Gatos,
Calif., Firetide is a privately held company with worldwide product
distribution. http://www.firetide.com

About Excelerate

Excelerate Technology is the market leader in the supply and integration of
satellite and wireless-based data, voice and video applications on Mobile
Incident Response Vehicles used by the emergency services. It also offers a
range of similar solutions for use in fixed and mobile environments by customers
in education, utilities, medical, sport and commercial sectors. Excelerate
Technology operates and manages its own satellite and private GSM network from
its headquarters near Cardiff in the UK. www.excelerate.info.

Firetide
Ksenia Coffman, +1-408-317-8985
kcoffman@firetide.com
or
Excelerate Technology
Nicola Savage, 0845 658 5747
nicolas@excelerate.info

Copyright Business Wire 2009