BELLINGHAM, WA – July 2, 2008 – PIER Systems staff are responding with a key member on scene at the Incident Command Center for the complex of wildfires causing widespread damage throughout Northern California. PIER Systems was contacted by CalFire and US Forest Service officials on Friday, June 28 to assist with managing internal and public information in support of the Joint Information Center established by the fire incident commanders.

PIER (Public Information Emergency Response) provides a web-based communication control system allowing communicators and emergency response leaders to collaborate to effectively communicate with the public, the media and internal audiences. It is used by major federal agencies such as the US Coast Guard in addition to numerous large corporations, universities, and state and local government agencies. On receipt of the request from fire officials, a communication control center was immediately launched enabling the Public Information Officers involved in the wildfire response to gather information quickly, produce information releases, distribute to the media and multiple audience contacts maintained with the system. PIER also provides complete control over incident websites and incorporates text messaging and automated text-to-voice telephone calls.

"Initially, the primary need was assistance with keeping internal audiences such as government leaders informed of the progress of the wildfires and the response efforts," said PIER Senior Vice President Marc Mullen. "While initial use was focused on internal audiences, the site was made public and now serves as the Joint Information Center site for the entire response involving multiple fires." That site can be found at www.jointinformation.com." The Joint Information Center website also allows reporters and members of the public to submit questions which are managed by PIER's Inquiry Management system, enabling Public Information Officers involved in the response at various locations to work together to provide fast, accurate information to those submitting questions.

As of 7:30 P.M. PDT on Tuesday, July 1, the Joint Information Center site was reporting almost 270,000 acres involved and almost 14,000 personnel responding. "The information demands for this scale of incident are large and intense," said Mullen. "The ability of PIER to withstand millions of visits plus provide graphic and video-heavy presentation is a critical element for these responders. A great many homes and businesses are at risk, along with significant impacts for the entire state so it is understandable that so many people seek information directly from those involved."

A CalFire senior official stated that PIER's use in this event is enabling the fire system to evaluate its performance for applicability for future events. 

PIER also provides the ability to perform real-time monitoring of all print, online, blog and broadcast reports. According to Mullen, the ability of the Joint Information Center staff to get an immediate picture of the reporting and online conversation will greatly assist in providing the timely, accurate information that is the primary responsibility of the Public Information Officers.

For more information about the California wildfires go to www.jointinformation.com

For more information about PIER visit www.piersystems.com