Virtual Command Technology can be of enormous significance to the future security of states and cities. Two weeks of vigorous testing has been witnessed by the State of Louisiana and the City of Baton Rouge including the Chief of Police, the Fire Chief, the Attorney General's office, the Insurance Commisioner, the State Facilities Department and other local and state officials.

The live security demonstration were conducted at the A. Z. Young Office Building in downtown Baton Rouge. The Baton Rouge Special Response Team took part in live emergency response exercises and attendees viewed the operations in real-time from the Baton Rouge Welcome Center using Virtual Command Technology.

Providing a Virtual Presence

The demonstration showed how the NetTalon Virtual Command system gives police officers a virtual presence within an affected building. Within seconds of the alert they can understand a developing emergency and react to it, as opposed to conventional response technology where many minutes may pass and the responders still have no real information to go on.

In this new concept of emergency management, a facility equipped with NetTalon sensors is networked directly to police department dispatch and operations centers. Every responding entity receives notification at once, eliminating time-consuming rerouting.

Emergency notification reaches the police responders directly, and in seconds they can view the inside of the building, virtually "looking at" the emergency. The alarm control panel in the building has a database containing all the floors plans and icons representing the sensors. In an emergency, sensor conditions are updated every second by changing their color. The change of color shows the observer the nature of the developing emergency.

Video is integrated into the system where it's critical to identify or validate the presence of a victim in a refuge room.

The inbound police cruisers access the same information en-route so they can see the incident and complete preliminary incident planning as they drive to the building. By the time they arrive at the building everyone has an assignment and incident mitigation begins immediately.

How is Virtual Incident Command Different?

Over ninety percent of today's security alarms are false. Today's police departments know little of the incident prior to arrival on the scene. Police respond to an electronic alarm incident by dispatching an officer to investigate the situation. Only after discovery of forced entry are units dispatched to an actual incident. Those officers must then enter the building not knowing if perpetrators are present, how many or if they left the premise. They are forced to make a room by room, floor by floor seach.

With NetTalon, an actual inciddent is verified in seconds and responding officers can determine the point of entry, locate and track the intruders using the hardened notebook. Video cameras are used to obtain subject description of perpetrators.

Virtual Incident Command Lessons Learned

• False alarms are eliminated.
• Actual incidents are verified.
• Adequate resources are dispatched to scene.
• Mitigation planning takes place en-route.
• En-route knowledge of perpetrators location allows arriving units to secure all egress points.
• Continuous ability to tract perpetrators allows incident commander to obtain tactical control of the building.