The System in brief

Our plan has been to involve, through cooperative rescue agreements, existing local and international systems as the base for our emergency network. This provided TEERS-international with an instant global response and communications system, utilizing existing facilities, at little or no direct cost to TEERS. Our major time expenditure has therefore been in establishing international response capabilities or HUBS. Similar to the hub and spokes of a wheel. This has been accomplished by the signing of international cooperative rescue agreements with other rescue groups worldwide.

SuperRegion Emergency Response System

Each Emergency Response Network is broken down first into different "SuperRegions". These SuperRegions are systems that call in directly to the international headquarters or are called by the international headquarters. The SuperRegion systems all feature hi-speed Internet connections and voice messaging. These systems are part of the international cooperative rescue network established by TEERS in 1990 through its "Age of the Humanitarian" movement. Future plans call for one SuperRegion in every country of the world.

Regional Response Systems

The Regional systems are emergency response systems that call into the SuperRegional systems. The Regional systems feature hi-speed Internet connections and voice messaging. These systems are selected and managed through the cooperative rescue teams and receive a grant for software and equipment plus a small operating subsidy from TEERS-international.

Local Response Systems

The Local systems are emergency response systems that call into the Regional systems. The Local systems comprise the largest part of our global system. They are volunteer operated and receive no subsidy from TEERS-international. Many of the Regional systems feature hi-speed connections and voice messaging. All costs are born by the local system and they are not allowed to restrict public or emergency access to the system.

When current system enhancements are completed the system will connect through the Internet Gateway, to the over 100,000 terminals in research and resource facilities worldwide. The Environmental Emergency Response System provides a single contact point for information and assistance.

Emergency Response Streamlining

Under the traditional concepts of the western management system used by private sector, government agencies and most rescue organizations, these groups are struggling with stubborn accounting departments that started pencil pushing sales and production departments after World War ll . This has dominated the bureaucratic agencies and factories at the expense of sound decision making. Under this management system, goods are made in batches or waves based on `sometimes less than accurate' forecasts. This creates production bottlenecks, huge `cash consuming' inventories and long lead times.

TEERS modified and adopted the technique of `just-in-time' resource management and statistical process control, making international rapid response rescue teams available for delivery when and where they are most needed, on request. One of our most innovative products in this area is a logistical tool known as ECAT (Environmental Resource Catalogue System). One small 3.5" floppy disk will hold over 7100 products with descriptions, locations, suppliers and pricing for 13 different categories. Products and services selected from ECAT by the field teams are automatically saved or printed as a purchase order and can include pricing for job cost control. ECAT is updated on a daily basis and is always available to TEERS-international rescue teams for downloading from the system.