Metis brings to market an emergency notification system with a proprietary mesh network

During the tragedies of 9-11, Hurricane Katrina and Virginia Tech, Americans saw the catastrophic impact of inadequate emergency notification systems (ENS). Communications delays in time-sensitive situations hampered the ability of key personnel to push emergency information out to those who needed it the most.

Worse yet, as cell phone networks became overloaded and shut down, and Internet connections and power were lost, it became difficult or impossible to transmit vital information such as warnings and situation updates.

To address the urgent need for an more effective ENS alternative, Oakmont-based Sima Products Corporation spun off Metis Secure Solutions in late 2008 to commercialize a new location-based ENS platform capable of handling the unique communication challenges that erupt during times of crisis.

In settings ranging from colleges and universities to public buildings, highrise office buildings and shopping malls, Metis Secure is designed to send the right message to the right people in the right place in a matter of seconds, maintaining effective communications in conditions far more challenging and varied than those addressed by other systems.

“Communications networks such as cell phone, Ethernet and WiFi are often compromised in times of crisis. Unfortunately, slowdowns and failures of these systems affect existing emergency notification platforms when they are needed most. Metis Secure has focused on addressing the vulnerabilities of existing emergency notification systems,” Mark Kurtzrock, President and CEO of Metis Secure Solutions, said.

Built on a proprietary combination of two independent wireless data paths - a mesh network and digital FM sub-carrier – the Metis Secure platform can deliver voice and text messages in less than 10 seconds. The redundant nature of the Metis ENS makes it much more reliable and faster than other systems in the market.

The platform is not only an alerting system, but a unique two-way “call for help” communications network. A simple button press notifies campus security that help is needed at that location.

The actual wall-mounted units placed at strategic locations within buildings across campus receive and relay information. The entire network can be managed by one or multiple system supervisors. Because it incorporates a self-healing, wireless mesh network, Metis Secure remains operational in any environment or situation. Metis Secure offers a combination of speed, information management and location targeting.

“Metis Secure's initial focus is on the needs of colleges and universities,” Kurtzrock said. “Campus security officials face complex communications challenges when it comes to notifying the campus population of emergencies and new federal legislation passed in 2008 requires campuses to address this pressing issue.”

The Metis Secure platform is the result of a two-year testing and research collaboration with a number of universities, including the Environmental Health and Safety officials, students and faculty at Carnegie Mellon University.

“Until now, there have been gaps in what existing systems can accomplish,” Madelyn Miller, CMU’s Director of Environmental Health and Safety and current President of the Campus Safety Health Environment Management Association (CSHEMA), said. “At CMU, we knew there had to be a better way. We were excited at the opportunity to work with Metis Secure to create a faster, more reliable ENS alternative that specifically addressed our needs.”

The Mellon Institute was selected as the test location for Metis Secure ENS because of the unique challenges the building presented in terms of safety and emergency communication. “The building features hundreds of research labs in the kind of old-world construction that creates extensive cell phone dead zones,” Miller explained. “Also, we thought that the Mellon Institute would provide a great proof-of-concept for the Metis platform. We knew that if it worked there, it would work everywhere across campus.”

Mellon Institute’s successful testing and a live drill in January 2009 convinced CMU officials to become Metis Secure’s first customer. The system will be installed throughout Mellon Institute in summer 2009. “After six months of testing, we have confidence in Metis Secure, even in our most extreme environment and hope to extend it campus wide.” says Miller. “No other ENS on the market can match it.”

“Our platform provides rapid, reliable communications between students, faculty, college administrators and others. The response our solution has received from the university community has been tremendous. We consistently hear from everyone that there is no product like Metis Secure in the market,” Kurtzrock explained. “We recently closed our second project and have several proposals pending with universities locally and across the country.”

For more information on the Metis Secure ENS, visit www.metissecure.com.