The New York City Fire Department, which rose into the national conscience after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, is getting help communicating from San Diego-based Deccan International.
Deccan has been selected to develop and implement a turnkey software solution for use in dispatching fire apparatus and ambulances throughout the FDNY’s 320-square-mile service area. Among the software’s benefits is the ability to evaluate and determine the number of units that should be in a specific geographic area at one time, ensuring a five-minute or less response time to most areas.
Chiefs and planners at the FDNY will also be able to use Deccan software to test “what if” scenarios to predict what changes in the field might lead to before they actually get implemented.
“We recognize that FDNY, having experienced firsthand the tragedy of September 11, has made it a priority to obtain tools to do preplanning for major one-time catastrophes, such as a terrorist attack, hurricane or major blizzard,” said Latha Nagaraji, Deccan’s president. “We also appreciate that FDNY is developing important tactical tools that assist with the massive deployment challenges needed when coping with such an event on the spot. Our software solutions combine a unique blend of analytical rigor with field experience and knowledge of both firefighting and EMS to assist FDNY in meeting its objectives.”
Deccan, which touts software that improves standard computer-aided dispatch functions for fire, 911 and emergency medical service operations, is receiving $2 million from the FDNY contract, which was awarded based on a competitive bid process common to public agencies.
Deccan was founded in 1995 and has 19 employees, who work out of offices in the Miramar area.
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More Big Deals:
September was a big month for three local high-tech defense contractors announcing more than $30 million in contracts with the U.S. government.
First, San Diego-based G2 Software Systems, Inc. announced Sept. 19 that it has received a five-year delivery order for more than $1 million to provide Defense Travel System administration, help desk and training support to the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command, or Spawar. Then, La Jolla-based Wireless Facilities, Inc. announced Sept. 21 that it has received a five-year, $25 million deal to provide the U.S. Army with aerial target-related services. The same day, Carlsbad-based ViaSat announced that it has received an add-on order worth more than $5.2 million for a project already under way with Spawar.
The contract awarded to G2 Software Systems involves using a Web-based open architecture to reduce the cost of travel administration to the Department of Defense, according to a company statement.
“For a long time, the military has relied on large databases to store information for administrative purposes and operational planning, such as the movement of troops or position and status of targets,” said Georgia Griffiths, the founder, president and chief executive officer for the company. “But these databases can’t be accessed without the right software. An open architecture can change that.”
The contract awarded to Wireless Facilities, which employs nearly 2,700 people worldwide, involves the local company providing the Army with a full range of operation and maintenance services for ancillary devices, scoring systems and command control and tracking systems. Wireless Facilities will also support air defense training operations, tri-service test and evaluations primarily at the White Sands Missile Range and the Fort Bliss McGregor Ranges in New Mexico.
“This is an important and strategic win for WFI,” said Eric DeMarco, the company’s president and chief executive officer. “This is one of the largest government contracts that has been awarded to WFI and it further broadens our expertise in the area of target operations and maintenance.”
The contract add-on recently awarded to ViaSat is also a landmark deal for that company. The more than $5.2 million ViaSat is receiving to augment a $60 million order placed in June makes up the largest order of its kind ever placed with ViaSat.
The company is manufacturing multifunctional information distribution system terminals for air and ground use. The terminals provide secure, high-capacity, jam-resistant digital data and voice communications for the Navy, Air Force and Army, according to a company statement. ViaSat has already delivered 500 of the terminals to the government.
Both Wireless Facilities and ViaSat trade on the Nasdaq. Wireless Facilities, Inc. trades under the symbol WFII and ViaSat trades under the symbol VSAT.
Wireless Facilities opened the week of Sept. 26 trading at $5.75 a share. ViaSat opened the same day at $24.40 a share.
G2 Software Systems is a privately held company.
Send high-tech news to Jessica Long at jlong@sdbj.com. She can also be reached at (858) 277-6359.
