FEMA offers first responders instant messaging service

Nearly 5,000 first responders are taking advantage of an instant messaging service to help bridge communications gaps among federal, state and local emergency relief workers, Federal Emergency Management Agency officials said Wednesday.

The Homeland Security Department bought the technology at an undisclosed price from Bantu, a Washington-based technology company, and it was ready for use by first responders by late March. It allows them to send out secure notes or alerts from any location with Internet access. Unlike some commercial instant messenger services that many first responders use now, Bantu's system is safe from hackers, said Larry Schlang, the company's president and chief operating officer and Bob Coxe, the program executive officer of e-government initiatives at FEMA.

Notes sent over Bantu's system are encrypted and the service is compatible with firewalls to protect against viruses, Schlang explained. Because the system is so secure, Homeland Security officials are encouraging the country's approximately 4 million first responders to start using it, according to Coxe.

Responders can access the system by logging onto Disasterhelp.gov, an e-government site designed by FEMA to help coordinate emergency workers. These workers first need to obtain a user name and password for access to select areas of the site by filling out registration information in the upper right corner of the homepage. Anyone can register for Disasterhelp.gov, but registered users are not allowed to use the instant messenger service unless FEMA has verified that they are first responders, Coxe said.

Local firefighting associations and other first responder groups are helping the Homeland Security Department publicize Bantu's instant messenger service, but Coxe predicted that it will still take a while for the new messaging system, which was complete late last month, to catch on.

The Homeland Security Department approached Bantu to provide the service because the company offers a more secure system than others in the field and has worked with other federal agencies on similar projects, Schlang said. In 2001, Bantu installed instant messenger technology on the Army's Knowledge Online portal, helping more than 1.3 million service members communicate.

The service will help local responders contact colleagues across the country who have expertise in such areas as bioterrorism, Schlang said. For instance, if a first responder in rural Kansas is reading a research paper on anthrax, he can check if the paper's author is logged onto the instant messenger and if so, initiate a conversation. The system also houses chat rooms where responders can discuss topics of concern.

Right now, Bantu's service is most useful for sending out more "mundane" communications about research or meeting reminders, Coxe said. But eventually, emergency operations centers will be able to use the system to locate and talk to first responders in the event of a terrorist attack or other emergency. Such technology would have helped prevent the confusion that slowed rescue efforts during the Sept. 11 attacks on the Pentagon and World Trade Center, he added.

Bantu was one of 443 technology companies with exhibit booths at the annual FOSE trade show, which runs from April 8 to April 10 at the new Washington Convention Center. The show featured a "Homeland Security Pavilion" with more than 40 products on display, ranging from communications devices to surveillance cameras.

The Homeland Security Department hopes to complete an inventory of its current IT assets by June and will look to the private sector to fill gaps in existing technology, said Steve Cooper, the department's chief information officer, in a keynote speech at FOSE Tuesday. When he gets the go-ahead from the department's general counsel, Cooper hopes to publish information about IT products currently in use at the department. Cooper said he would then publish an e-mail address where technology companies can send feedback and ideas for new products.

Homeland Security officials are especially interested in learning about wireless communications devices, infrastructure mapping devices and computer programs that simulate disasters, according to Cooper. Many of the FOSE exhibits showcased such devices.