  |     |
|
|
||
|
|||
|
|||
|
 |
 |
9/26/2001 Itronix Donates 20 Ultra-Rugged Notebook PCs To FEMA, World Trade Center Emergency Teams Itronix Corporation, a world leader in the design and manufacture of ruggedized, wireless mobile computing products, has donated twenty of its toughest portable computers to the disaster relief effort in New York City. The super-ruggedized X-C 6250 Pro notebook computers, built to withstand the rigors of public safety, military, public utility, aerospace, and telecommunications use, will be employed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the New York City Office of Emergency Management (OEM) in a variety of roles in and around the World Trade Center site. One of the key functions of the portable PCs will be to display three-dimensional computerized models of debris in the area of the collapse. The GIS (Geographical Information System) renderings are expected to assist personnel in the safe removal of the wreckage, as well as to pinpoint the location of flammable chemicals and other hazardous substances known to be in the buildings at the time of the collapse. Itronix, whose ruggedized notebook computing products are purchased in the thousands by customers ranging from the U.S. armed forces to public safety, utility, telco, and commercial field service organizations, was contacted separately by both FEMA and OEM. According to Donald Ponikvar, Vice President of Defense Group, Inc., a consulting services company assisting FEMA, emergency workers were looking for units that could tolerate the punishing conditions at the New York City recovery scene. “They’ve had situations where laptops stop working from dust or heat,” said Ponikvar, whose company advises federal, state, local and commercial customers in anti-terrorist response and disaster services. “You can drop the Itronix computer or have water all over it and it keeps right on functioning. That’s critical at this point, in this instance,” Ponikvar said. Defense Group, Inc. is currently installing specialized software on ten of the Itronix units for FEMA use. The other ten units have been pressed into immediate service at Ground Zero by the NYC Fire Department, which intends to use the PCs for onsite communications and data gathering. For several years, Itronix’ X-C 6250 Pro ultra-rugged notebook PC has been the company’s top-of-the-line model, engineered to withstand Department of Defense specifications for extreme environmental performance. The units meet select Intrinsic Safety (IS) standards of the National Electrical Code, meaning they can be used in the presence of certain volatile substances without generating an electrostatic discharge that could cause an explosion. Ron Roush, Itronix’ Federal Government Technical Support Manager, accompanied the units as they were delivered to the OEM command center at New York’s Pier 92, and is serving as Itronix’ technical liaison to OEM and FEMA. “In addition to the mapping function, the fire department wanted Internet and email access on the scene,” Roush noted. “The X-C 6250 Pro’s wireless CDPD modem makes it possible for emergency personnel to send and receive Internet communications anywhere and anytime.” CDPD, or Cellular Digital Packet Data, is a data transmission technology commonly used by commercial and public safety workforces for mobile networking and communications. Itronix officials said the company was honored to be asked to take part in the response efforts. “Every individual on the scene in New York has the support of thousands of Americans from across the country,” said Jeff Gibbons, Director of Marketing for Itronix. “The donation of these PCs allows our company and its employees to participate in the disaster recovery in a very tangible and productive way.” The X-C 6250 Pro is built to operate in a variety of environmental conditions, including temperatures from -10 degrees F to 140 degrees F (-23C to 60C). Its magnesium case can withstand heavy dust exposure as well as direct water spray on any axis at a rate of 6” per hour without failure; the unit can also take repeated drops from one meter onto plywood over concrete while powered on without damage. The X-C 6250 Pro employs a Colorvue SVGA touchscreen display and a Nitevue keyboard for use in nighttime or dark environments. |
 |
 |
|
Products |
Services |
Product Support |
Company |
News |
Markets |
Contact |
Privacy/Legal
| Partner Extranet
| Home
|
|
