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Bringing the Olympics to town invariably leads to increased security awareness. But thanks to Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT), more than 100 police and fire departments in and around Salt Lake City will have a new tool in their arsenal: software.


UDOT has distributed 25 sets of the software application to emergency dispatch centers throughout the area and several more to units specifically focused on security for the 2002 Winter Olympics.


OREIS, the application developed by Operation Respond Institute, would provide information about hazardous materials and transportation incidents. It’s designed to identify motor carriers’ and freight rail cars’ chemical content, as well as providing passenger-train blueprints for emergency personnel responding to terrorist situations and rescue operations.


The 25 emergency dispatch centers serve about 100 police and fire departments, and would serve as communication hubs for the departments and their personnel. Several more copies of OREIS were donated to mobile response vehicles that specialize in accelerated response to hazardous materials incidents; Federal Bureau of Investigation and Utah Highway Patrol also received copies.


Approximately 500 people, including firefighters, police officers, dispatchers, 911 operators and emergency medical services personnel will require training to integrate the software into their existing procedures and operations. Training is scheduled to begin in April.