Oregon emergency system (RAINS) helps deploy responders via the Web

As security director for Oregon’s largest shopping center, Mark Hanson frequently checks his computer for alerts in the neighborhood. When it’s something like minor car trouble on a freeway exit, he doesn’t need to worry. But then, one alert flashes on-screen about a fire near the Lloyd Center Mall.

He springs into action: His 22-person staff diverts mall traffic and helps provide a staging area for the fire department.

Mr. Hanson is part of a growing network of public-safety responders in Oregon who are using a new Web-based technology to respond to emergencies.

"When something pops up on my computer, I know I can look at it very quickly and assess the situation and know where our people need to go — what needs to happen," says Hanson.

Regional Alliances for Infrastructure and Network Security (RAINS) http://www.oregonrains.org/

By Aaron Clark, The Christian Science Monitor

Full Story: http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/surveillance/2006-04-24-web-emergency-system_x.htm