PHILADELPHIA, PA, Mar 03 (MARKET WIRE) --
Probaris, Inc. and its partners are participating in the Winter Blast
disaster preparedness demonstration in the Philadelphia and Washington, DC
areas this week. Probaris is providing First Responder Authentication
Credentials
(FRACs) for the demonstration. The Probaris FRAC credentials comply with the
federal
FIPS 201 standard to ensure trust and interoperability.
The Winter Blast demonstration is hosted by the Department of Homeland
Security
(DHS) Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Office of National Capital
Region Coordination (NCRC). Participants include Temple University Hospital in
Philadelphia Crozer-Chester Medical Center in Chester, Pennsylvania, the
George Washington University Hospital and the Department of Veterans Affairs
Hospital, both in Washington, DC.
Winter Blast is intended to prove the capability to rapidly and
electronically authenticate first responders at disaster scenes. The
authentication process allows emergency response officials to validate the
identity and qualifications of first response personnel. The validation of
personnel qualifications includes an electronic check of an individual's
certifications, authorizations, and privileges.
The focus of Winter Blast is on the community of first responders that serve
in Emergency Support Function 8 (ESF 8) within FEMA's National Response
Framework
(NRF). ESF 8 responders are from the Public Health and Medical Services
community. The Emergency System for Advanced Registration of Volunteer Health
Professionals (ESAR-VHP) will be used to validate the certifications of
public health and medical workers during the demonstration.
Trusted and interoperable identity credentials for the Winter Blast
demonstration are being issued using Probaris ID(TM). The credentials are
compliant with federal standard Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS)
201
to remove the burdens associated with first responder identification and the
lifecycle management of credentials. Alternative proprietary and ad hoc
credentialing
processes have created delays, subjectivity, and uncertainty, including those
experienced by emergency personnel responding to the September 11th terrorist
attacks and the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Winter Blast serves as a
significantmilestone and demonstration of the standards-based solutions
available to
provide first responders with a streamlined approach to accessing disaster
sites.
About Probaris
Probaris (www.probaris.com) develops and markets Probaris ID(TM), an
end-to-end solution for verification of employee identities. The solution is
used
to gather employee biometrics and other identity data for the issuance and
life cycle management of secure credentials. Probaris ID is currently being
used by federal agencies to comply with the HSPD-12 mandate of 2004. The
Probaris
ID Suite bundles multiple pre-integrated GSA-approved products to provide all
elements
of the credential solution.
For further information please contact:
Megan McHugh
Email Contact
215.238.0510 x237
Copyright 2008, Market Wire, All rights reserved.
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