| Southampton, PA: October 8, 2001-Environmental Tectonics Corporation (Amex: ETC - news) has been selected by the Osceola (Florida) Department of Emergency Management, (OCDEM), to provide a virtual reality-based "Terrorist Exercise" for the purpose of validating their newly developed Terrorism Annex to their County's Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan (CEMP). Each municipal organization has a responsibility to maintain an updated and current CEMP. This emergency plan is comprised of response criteria for all kinds of disaster responses from Wildland fire to Terrorist attacks. In light of the complexity and diversity of the content these plans are very difficult to compose, test, and validate. Training to the specifics outlined in these plans poses an even more difficult challenge. ETC's Advanced Disaster Management Simulator (ADMS™) solves these problems, and is being recognized by regulatory, advisory and industry organizations as a powerful tool in the development and validation of emergency plans. ADMS™ is the only virtual reality-based simulator available today that allows emergency response organizations, airports, airlines and government agencies to simulate major incidents, such as terrorist activities, fires, hazardous material spills and leaks, aircraft accidents, Biological or Chemical agent releases, or natural disasters, for planning, testing and validating procedures. Once these plans are developed and tested, ADMS™ then becomes the tool of choice to allow the user to conduct the training frequently, effectively and in a manner consistent with the level of threat detailed in these plans. Although the tragic events of September 11th could not have been anticipated, ETC's simulation systems are designed and utilized to provide both safety and security training and can be utilized to train for response to terrorist events. Osceola County is the second organization to have used the ADMS™ as a Terrorist Response Trainer, South Carolina State Emergency Management Agency being the first. The community has recognized that the emergency response training has to become current with 21st Century technology - the sandboxes and slideshows are no longer adequate tools to prepare our first responders for the level of threat we as a nation now face. As Congressman Weldon said, "ETC's ADMS™ will help maximize the effectiveness and quality of first responder training…" ETC's selection to provide a means to test and validate an emergency (terrorist annex) plan will quickly become the obvious choice for emergency response organizations across the country. One key government official stated "…to have a means to develop, test, validate and then train to the emergency procedures - all as an integrated and interconnected process is needed now and needed quickly". ETC's role in this arena has firmly enhanced the company's position as a leading designer and supplier of simulation systems meant to address safety and security planning and training requirements. ETC designs, develops, installs and maintains aircrew training systems, public entertainment systems, process simulation systems (sterilization and environmental), clinical hyperbaric systems, environmental testing and simulation systems, and related products for domestic and international customers. Certain matters in this press release are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. This includes, but is not limited to, market acceptance of new products, competitive actions, economic conditions, and other risks indicated in filings from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission. |
Duane D. Deaner, CFO of Environmental Tectonics, 215-355-9100, ext.1203, fax 215-357-4000 or email: ddeaner@etcusa.com