Orleans Parish Communications District Activates Interim 9-1-1 Center
New Orleans, LA, September 26, 2005

The Orleans Parish Communications District (OPCD) activated its interim 9-1-1 center today, the result of an extraordinary amount of effort and coordination by OPCD Staff, their contractors, and other agencies following the tragic devastation inflicted by Hurricane Katrina.

The scenes and stories of the damage inflicted by Hurricane Katrina have been front page news, though pictures and news feeds pale in comparison to experiencing the aftermath first hand. The devastation did not spare the original OPCD 9-1-1 center and also disrupted all communications, including 9-1-1, commercial and wireless service.

Immediately following Hurricane Katrina, OPCD and Positron technicians worked with limited resources and under very tight time constraints to complete the design, production and staging of the 9-1-1 system that replaces the original system, which was rendered inoperable by the hurricane. Positron worked on an expedited and overtime basis to manufacture, stage and deliver the new 9-1-1 system in less than one week’s time. The new 9-1-1 system is comprised of Positron’s Life Line 100 E9-1-1 controller and 19 Power 911 and Power MAP call taking positions. Each call taking position has access to digital orthographic file imagery and GIS data that will help locate callers and incidents. In addition, all calls into the 9-1-1 center will be recorded on a 128 channel digital logging recorder.

Due to the urgent time constraints, OPCD officials, Positron, the FAA, and FEMA collaborated on special transport provisions. The equipment was airlifted from Burlington, Vermont and Since delivered to New Orleans on September 17th.

The location for the interim 9-1-1 call center is a ballroom on the 3rd floor of the Hyatt Regency Hotel, located at 500 Poydras Plaza, immediately adjacent to the Superdome. The Hyatt has committed to house this interim facility to service the 9-1-1 operations for six months. The center will then be moved to another interim facility until the completion of the new OPCD communications and emergency operations center is achieved.

Since last Saturday, a team of Positron technicians has been working around the clock together with BellSouth and OPCD personnel to install, test, and train call takers on the 9-1-1 system. Despite the installation team working under tight pressure and without the common amenities such as showers and sleeping quarters, the energy and morale is very high and everyone has pulled together towards the common objective of resuming 9-1-1 operations.

“It has been an extremely trying time and we are all tired, but we are elated to be back in full service” said Mr. William A. Hawkins, Executive Director of the OPCD. “We want to recognize the performance of all the contractors, client agencies, and others in helping make this possible. I will not list all of the people who helped us because I know I would leave someone out.”

Hawkins was thankful for the performance of OPCD and Positron staff, with special note of the following individuals:

• Dan Gilbert, OPCD
• Katrine Cargo, OPCD
• Karl Fasold, OPCD
• John Adams, OPCD
• Phyllis Buckett, OPCD
• Richard Gaines, Positron
• Wendy Bradford, Positron
• Paul McLaren, Positron
• Art Cioni, Positron
• Randy Robinson, Positron
• Tom Snarski, Positron

OPCD Staff Gloria Johnson and Ausettua Amour-Amenkum are still evacuees.

Mr. Richard Gaines of Positron said, “It is exceptionally moving to be a part of this. There are countless examples of ordinary people doing extraordinary things. To me, they are all unsung heroes. It fills me with awe to turn every corner and see the amazing progress we have made in such a short amount of time. I am very proud of how everyone has stepped up to the plate, including the OPCD, BellSouth, our partners and of course, my company.”

Positron is proud to have helped OPCD in its time of need in rising to the challenge to of brining the interim 9-1-1 center online. We continue to extend our thoughts and prayers for all of those affected by Hurricane Katrina.

OPCD is the administrative office of 9-1-1 for the city of New Orleans. This office was created by State Legislature in 1982. Primary responsibilities include the purchasing and the maintenance of equipment and provide training for new and experienced police, fire and emergency medical personnel. OPCD is proud to honor and highlight the achievements of these dedicated public servants who work continually to provide quality service to the citizens of New Orleans.

Positron Public Safety Systems, with US headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia, is the leader in fully integrated, end-to-end public safety solutions for call handling and dispatching. Established in 1970, Positron has more than 35 years in delivering mission critical applications and over 23 years of developing public safety solutions. With 600 employees in offices throughout the world, Positron's global footprint extends from the United States and Canada through Europe, Africa, Latin America, Australia, Asia and the South Pacific. Additional information on Positron Public Safety Systems, its products and services and past press releases can be found on the Company’s Web site: www.positron911.com.

 For more information, please contact:

 Mr. Paul Guest
 Director of Marketing
 Positron Public Safety Systems
 1745 Phoenix Blvd.
 Suite 250
 Atlanta, GA 30349
 (800) 443-3313
 pguest@positron911.com