LOCAL
Wednesday, February 04, 2004
Wireless system
ready for use
By
JEANNINE KORANDA of the East Oregonian
jkoranda@eastoregonian.com
HERMISTON — Umatilla and
Morrow counties are going high tech Thursday with the unveiling of the largest
regionwide wireless broadband digital communications system in the country.
The 600-square-mile system, run by EZ Wireless, will be activated
in wire-cutting ceremonies in Hermiston and Boardman during the early afternoon.
The system was developed through a partnership with EZ Wireless and
the Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program to deliver data to
emergency responders in the field.
“Access to secure ‘real time’ data for emergency responders that
are mobile has historically been difficult and expensive,” EZ Wireless President
Fred Ziari said in a statement announcing the unveiling.
To overcome the problem, Ziari and his company developed a regional
system similar to “hot spots” or localized areas of access to wireless Internet
that are appearing in many cities.
“The big difference with our broadband wireless is we can cover a
whole city or an entire region, not just a building or a city block,” Ziari
said. “That means one can stay connected while walking or driving around
town.”
Visiting dignitaries, including U.S. Rep. Greg Walden of Hood River
will see a mobile demonstration of the WiFi Internet connection capabilities.
Additionally, a new system called the Incident Response Information
System (IRIS) also will be unveiled as part of the wireless system.
IRIS allows first responders and emergency management personnel to
have accurate mobile information in real time as they respond to any emergency,
the press release said.
The ceremonies also will include demonstrations of how the wireless
system is helping Hermiston’s traffic control system. Hermiston Chief of
Police Dan Coulombe will demonstrate the system’s smart-policing capabilities.
When completed, the project’s first phase will encompass an area
more than four time the area of Portland or six times larger than Seattle.
The project includes parts of Oregon and Washington states, four counties
and seven cities. The second phase, planned for Summer 2004, will expand
to include an additional seven cities in Eastern Oregon.
“This kind of unique opportunity for our rural communities to be
the first in the nation to have universal high speed wireless access to the
Internet is analogous to the first city to get telephones or electricity
or even running water,” Hermiston Chamber of Commerce manager Rod Davis said.
In addition to its public safety applications, the system will also
be a boost to local business, consumers and agencies using the wireless access
to high speed Internet connections, Morrow County Judge Terry Tallman said.
The wire cutting will begin 12:30 p.m. at the Port of Morrow headquarters
in Boardman and proceed with the demonstrations, ending up at the Hermiston
Community Center for another unwiring celebration at 3 p.m.
Contact Jeannine Koranda
at (800) 522-0255 (ext. 1-226 after hours) or by e-mail jkoranda@eastoregonian.com.