Dear OASIS TC;
We, NIMS STEP evaluated TractorFax Technologies, were evaluated back in 2008 against NIMS standards and criteria which is apparently guided and driven by underlying OASIS standards for interoperability, scalability, flexibility, and affordability across the board, as I understand things.
With that said, in the beginning (2008) the NIMS STEP evaluation process had a slight sense of urgency. Now, 5 years later, this whole process has fizzled out due in part to the fact "NIMS evaluated TractorFax fulfills longstanding shortfalls and missing capabilities within real world incident management/emergency operations following OASIS standards and criteria. If in fact public/private/NGO collaboration remains key, then TractorFax is in fact the technical environment where all 3 can co-exist!
The NIMS STEP process (utilizing OASIS standards and criteria) has created a catch 22 offering nothing in the form of funding and implementing recommended pilots, even after appointed subject matter experts asked this vendor to document local, state, and regional recommended pilots for bringing our IT product from "Tech Lab" to "End User reality"... What's up with that?
The situation has created a wonderful deployment ready "all-in-one" solution to local, state, and regional level incident management/emergency operations shortfalls, however, based on my first hand experience since day one, local officials rely on their state agency as the gatekeeper to fulfilling their shortfalls and understanding the real underlying brilliance of NIMS. Yet, SAA and State Agency Directors are intimidated and confused, thus rejecting any federal (NIMS/OASIS compliance) standards and criteria; no matter how brilliant the solution. And sadly
most of these state/governor appointees have their own underlying agenda...
The bottom line here is; the InterAgency Board (IAB) has approved NIMS evaluated TractorFax for 3 Standardized Equipment List (SELs). And according to our sources "TractorFax is perfectly aligned with DHS/FEMA 2011 - 2014 Strategic Plan Initiative #1- the whole community approach to emergency operations". All the while (5 years now), TractorFax recommended pilots have yet to be funded and implemented at any level while property and lives are at stake... Shame on all.
In conclusion, I simply wish to get TractorFax out of my in-box and off my desk. Can you help? Any and all suggestions are welcomed; but I think OASIS TC involvement (oversight) is called for... Otherwise there's no need for TractorFax being evaluated against stringent standards and criteria... even when the market has finally presented itself...
Always available,
Jerome D. Hamilton, CEO
NIMS evaluated TractorFax Technologies
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