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AT&T and National Disaster Search Dog Foundation Team Up for Network Disaster Recovery Exercise in Kansas City

Posted on: Tuesday, 19 July 2005, 09:00 CDT

KANSAS CITY, July 19 /PRNewswire/ -- AT&T today presented a $12,500 grant to the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation (NDSDF) during AT&T's Network Disaster Recovery (NDR) exercise in Kansas City. The funds are part of an overall commitment of $50,000 from the AT&T Foundation in 2005, and will help support training for search and rescue dogs to recover people lost or trapped due to a disaster. This is the second year that AT&T has provided support to the NDSDF.

Chris Rooney, President, AT&T Sales, announced the grant this morning at the AT&T Networking Leaders' Forum at the Doubletree Hotel Overland Park at Corporate Woods in Overland Park, KS. Two search and rescue teams -- Su Vodrazka, and her dog Hero, and Russell Tao and his dog, Andy, accepted the grant on behalf of the NDSDF. The dogs and their handlers are demonstrating their life-saving techniques at the NDR exercise. The exercise is designed to test and evaluate how well the company can respond to a disaster and restore and maintain vital communication.

"By providing highly skilled search and rescue teams throughout the country, when disaster strikes in a community, NDSDF teams are ready to save lives," said Rooney. "This is a complementary partnership, since AT&T focuses on restoring networking technologies that are critical to emergency communications and business continuity."

The NDSDF is the only organization in the United States that consistently provides advanced certified teams at no cost to fire departments and other emergency service agencies. The NDSDF recruits dogs that are rescued from abuse or abandonment, as typically these dogs demonstrate high energy, drive and tenacity, making them ideal for search and rescue, but unsuitable for a family pet. After passing stringent screening and testing criteria, the dogs are then trained to transform that energy into life-saving skills.

In December, NDSDF canine search teams were put on alert by federal authorities in response to the tsunami in Southeast Asia. In January, NDSDF teams were deployed in southern California, where a massive train derailment in the Los Angeles area took many lives and mudslides ravaged the small coastal community of La Conchita. A NDSDF team was also recently activated as part of Florida Task Force 1 to assist with search and rescue efforts for Hurricane Dennis.

"The demand for canine search teams is growing rapidly, and through AT&T's support, we have been able to increase the number of search dog teams nationwide," said Wilma Melville, founder and director of the NDSDF. "AT&T's network of trained personnel and equipment is ready at the first sign of a disaster, just like our trained dogs and teams are ready to respond immediately anywhere we are needed."

AT&T maintains the industry's only mobile, full-readiness NDR team. It consists of specially trained managers, engineers and technicians from across the United States as well as a fleet of more than 150 self-contained equipment-trailers and support vehicles that house the same equipment and components as an AT&T data-routing or voice-switching center.

More information on AT&T's NDR program is available at http://www.att.com/ndr .

About the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation (NDSDF)

The National Disaster Search Dog Foundation is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to produce the most highly trained FEMA Advanced Certified canine search teams in the nation. The Foundation recruits rescued dogs, gives them professional training, and partners them with firefighters and other first-responders to respond to natural and man-made disasters. Website: SearchDogFoundation.org or call 1-888-4K9-HERO.

About AT&T

For more than 125 years, AT&T has been known for unparalleled quality and reliability in communications. Backed by the research and development capabilities of AT&T Labs, the company is a global leader in local, long distance, Internet and transaction-based voice and data services.

AT&T

CONTACT: Kerry Hibbs of AT&T, +1-972-778-2081, or khibbs@att.com

Web site: http://www.att.com/ndrhttp://searchdogfoundation.org/

Source: PRNewswire

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