Rescue task force in Texas turns to GeoSuite

PHOENIX, USA: nFocus Solutions, a provider of tactical planning and situational awareness solutions for public safety, has completed the delivery of GeoSuite to Texas Task Force 1 (TX-TF1) Urban Search and Rescue team (US&R), based in College Station, Texas.

TX-TF1 is a US&R task force teams in the nation; the team can be activated by both the state of Texas and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). GeoSuite is explained a web-based common operating picture designed for tactical users in disconnected or unstable network environments, typically found in the days following a major disaster.

Once submitted, collected information from this technology, including the GPS location of the responders, is immediately visible to the incident commander and other responders conducting the search and rescue operations.

"I've been part of search and rescue efforts for more than 20 years, and until now most technological solutions were not suited for the harsh realities of Task Force deployments. GeoSuite will now be an integral part of every deployment for our task force," said Jeff Saunders, Operations Chief, Texas Task Force 1.

After first seeing the application in action during training exercises, TX-TF1 was able to use the application during a real emergency situation while deployed in 2013 to the tornado in Moore, Oklahoma and the fertilizer plant explosion in West, Texas. During those deployments, GeoSuite allowed TX-TF1 to accomplish their search and rescue missions in significantly less time than before.

This ensured that disaster victims quickly had access to vital care and saved hundreds of thousands of dollars. Experiencing these results, TX-TF1 has selected GeoSuite as their primary tool for the coordination and execution of search and rescue operations.