ACQUISITION SET TO CREATE FIRST NATIONAL EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM

Brampton Crest International, Inc. has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire America’s Emergency Network, LLC, a closely held Miami, FL-based company that is developing a nationwide disaster communications system to link government emergency offices to media and the general public. The shareholders’ vote is expected in June 2008.

Brampton’s name will be changed to The AEN Group, Inc. AEN is building a communications system, which, when fully deployed, will link Emergency Operations Centers (EOCs) in cities, towns, counties, school boards and other government entities with the general public, media outlets, first responders and other government agencies. The system will send video feeds of news briefings by emergency officials and critical text bulletins issued at any EOC in any location to all users instantly.

The satellite-based system is designed to operate before and after disasters, even when telephone, cell phone and terrestrial Internet systems have failed. In addition, during short-fuse emergencies (tanker accidents, bio-hazards, etc.), the AEN system will provide an instant communications link directly to all subscribing media outlets. Critical information will reach the public much sooner because all subscribing media outlets will receive the text and video feeds at once.

“As a public company, we believe that we will be able to access the capital markets to raise the funds necessary to rapidly build out a new emergency communications system that will create a paradigm shift in the way governments deal with disasters on both a national and local level,” said Bryan Norcross, Brampton president and CEO.

“EOCs that subscribe to AEN will be able to push out critical, life-saving information to media outlets and the general public for the first time in this country’s history. Municipalities, government agencies and the general public will no longer have to wait for the media to reach disaster areas to report to the public on what they should be doing when an emergency strikes: AEN will deliver this time-sensitive information through a fail-safe system, using the latest communication technology available,” Norcross said.

Max Mayfield, former director of the National Hurricane Center from 2000 to 2007, has been named senior executive vice president of government relations.

ALERT FM PLATFORM NOW AVAILABLE IN FLORIDA

Global Security Systems (GSS), Jackson, MS, has announced that Broward and Miami-Dade counties are the first two counties in Florida to have access to Alert FM, an FM radio-based emergency alert and messaging system.

Alert FM allows authorized emergency management officials to send alerts and messages to specific groups of first responders, businesses and citizens before, during and after a crisis. Because the system is FM radio-based information can be distributed to a large number of recipients in a matter of seconds. Targeted alerts and messages are delivered by satellite to the data sub-carrier of FM transmission towers and can be received on Alert FM receivers and other mobile devices, including PDAs, cell phones and other specialized receivers equipped with FM chips. Potential notifications include not only hurricane or other severe weather warnings, but also geographically targeted evacuation instructions and traffic alerts.

“Residents in Broward and Miami-Dade counties will have the potential to receive emergency information from local emergency operation centers (EOCs) where the system is being tested as well as National Weather Service severe weather warnings and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) alerts through personal, portable Alert FM receivers,” said R. Matthew Straeb, GSS executive vice president. “Hurricane Katrina reminded us that timely notification of severe weather or simple communication before or after a catastrophic event can help save lives.”

Alert FM has formed a partnership with America’s Emergency Network (AEN). AEN has entered into an agreement to be acquired by Brampton Crest International, Inc.

AAMA UPDATES DOCUMENT ADDRESSING IMPACT AND CYCLE TESTING

The American Architectural Manufacturers Association (AAMA), Schaumburg, IL, has updated its AAMA 506-08, a voluntary specification for impact and cycle testing. According to Ken Brenden, AAMA technical standards manager, the revamped seven-page document, first published in 2000 and titled “Voluntary Specifications for Impact and Cycle Testing of Fenestration Products,” includes several updates.

The document is designed to provide a system for rating the ability of windows, doors, skylights and sliding glass doors to withstand impact and pressure cycling generally associated with hurricane conditions.

“In addition to various editorial changes, the most significant changes were the addition of a new section 8.0, ‘Qualification of Alternate Constructions,’ although these alternate constructions or details must also successfully complete all requirements of Section 6.0 to be qualified, therefore, some additional testing may be required,” stated Brenden.

ICC PRESENTS FIRST RAISING PROFILE AWARDS FOR COMMITMENT TO BUILDING SAFETY

The New York City Buildings Department and a director of urban development from Texas are the first recipients of the International Code Council Raising the Profile Awards. The awards honor individuals or organizations for contributions to raising the public awareness of the work accomplished by code officials to improve public safety in the built environment.

The inaugural honorees are the New York City Buildings Department and Ravi Shah, director of urban development for the city of Carrollton, TX.

The International Code Council (ICC) honored the New York City Buildings Department, represented by Buildings Commissioner Patricia Lancaster, for numerous programs to improve public safety. Each program contributes to the safety, service and integrity of the department, its employees and the residents and visitors of New York City, stated ICC.

Shah is recognized for his efforts to raise the bar for code officials through creation of the Building Officials Association of Texas Best Practices Award and for exposing students to building codes by encouraging youth to consider a career as a “first preventer,” the officials who ensure codes are followed to save lives and protect property.

The awards were presented during Building Safety Week, May 5 to 11, at the ICC headquarters in Washington, D.C.

SIMPSON STRONG-TIE VOLUNTEERS JOIN HABITAT’S CARTER WORK PROJECT

Simpson Strong-Tie volunteers from across the country traveled to the Gulf Coast May 11 to 16 to work alongside former U.S. President and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn. Simpson Strong-Tie employees joined thousands of volunteers to build 30 new homes, rehabilitate 30 homes and frame up to 48 more in the host cities of Biloxi, Gulfport and Pascagoula, MS, as part of the 25th annual Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project hosted by Habitat for Humanity of the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

As part of this year’s project, volunteers worked on houses in Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas and Alabama. The Carters will visit some of these sites and help build houses in New Orleans and Covington, LA; Bay St. Louis, MS; and Mobile, AL, to help raise awareness of ongoing recovery taking place in the communities along the Gulf Coast.
In total, more than 250 houses will be built or repaired by the end of the year as part of the overall project. Families will pay a no-profit mortgage for the homes with mortgage payments recycled to build even more simple, decent and affordable housing in these communities.

“Simpson Strong-Tie is committed to helping build safer and stronger homes economically in collaboration with families in need,” said Terry Kingsfather, president. “By sharing similar goals with Habitat and working together at the 25th annual Carter Project, we can provide more people in the Gulf Coast with homes that are built to last.”

DUPONT TO PROVIDE STORMROOM WITH KEVLAR TO EPCON BUILDER FRANCHISES

DuPont, Wilmington, DE, and Epcon Communities, Dublin, OH, have announced an agreement to provide the DuPont™ StormRoom™ with Kevlar® to Epcon’s 138 builder franchisees in 30 states. The agreement makes DuPont a national account supplier to Epcon Communities, allowing consumers purchasing an Epcon Communities home to have access to the StormRoom and incorporate it into the existing home design.

“DuPont Kevlar is . . . a perfect fit for storm shelters, which can offer people with and without basements the maximum protection. Epcon Communities is providing a solution for consumers nationally that they’ve never had before,” said Thomas F. Schuler, vice president and general manager, DuPont Building Innovations.

Available in pre-built and custom configurations, the DuPont StormRoom with Kevlar can be installed into an existing home or incorporated into any building plan within a day, the company stated. The StormRoom allows for electricity and plumbing installation, as well as cell phone and radio reception, so its occupants can monitor news and weather information. When not in use, the StormRoom can double as an extra room, storage space or powder room.

The DuPont StormRoom with Kevlar meets Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) standards for hurricane and tornado shelters and is designed to withstand wind gusts of up to 250 miles per hour and support a uniformly distributed weight of more than 70,000 pounds. The strength of Kevlar laminated sheathing inside reinforced wall panels provides the stopping power needed for high-velocity debris, acting as a safety net to help deflect objects that become airborne during severe storms, the company stated. The walls are joined together in a steel-framed skeleton that is anchored into the home’s foundation, providing crush resistance and preventing the room from being blown away.

“With our agreement, the DuPont StormRoom should provide peace of mind for our prospective buyers as well as a secure location given our slab-on grade construction,” said Tom Kirchner, national accounts manager for Epcon Communities.

INSURER OFFERS ITS PREMIUM RISK PREVENTION DATA AT NO COST

For the first time in its 170-year history, FM Global, Johnston, RI, one of the world’s largest commercial and industrial property insurers, will release thousands of pages of its previously exclusive property loss prevention engineering guidelines at no cost through its Web site: www.fmglobaldatasheets.com.

FM Global’s Property Loss Prevention Data Sheets provide large-scale businesses, facility and risk managers, as well as the architects, consultants and contractors who work for them, a valuable tool to help prevent property damage and maintain business continuity due to threats posed by fire, weather conditions and failure of electrical or mechanical equipment.

The engineering guidelines contain a wealth of risk prevention information on hundreds of topics, ranging from building construction and fire prevention, to industrial equipment maintenance and natural disaster preparedness. Users who download the content also receive automatic notification via e-mail when data sheets are updated. FM Global is the only commercial property insurer that develops and provides this type of technical data, all of which is based on scientific research and nearly two centuries of loss prevention experience.

FM Global’s decision to make its loss prevention data available at no cost reflects the changing risk profiles of its clients around the world, especially the increasing interdependence of businesses brought about as a result of globalization and technology, the company stated.

“Companies are now so intertwined and geographically dispersed, that to help them reduce risk and prevent loss, it is beneficial to make our intellectual property widely accessible,” said Tom Lawson, FM Global’s senior vice president, engineering and research.

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