News Release

Cooper Notification’s Emergency Text Alerting Systems Deliver during Record Mid-Atlantic Blizzards

Cooper Notification’s alert systems sent more than 11 million messages during Mid-Atlantic Blizzards

Long Branch, N.J., February 19, 2010 – The record-breaking snow fall in the Mid-Atlantic region over the past week caused an unprecedented numbers of road closures in Pennsylvania and forced the federal government in Washington DC to shut down for four days.  As road crews worked around the clock and residents extracted themselves from the onslaught of February storms, Cooper Notification’s award- winning Roam Secure Alert Network (RSAN) systems sent more than 11 million messages throughout the Mid-Atlantic to communicate critical information, including school and road closures, severe weather warnings, shelter-in-place, and opening of warming centers. Cooper Notification is a platform of Cooper Industries plc (NYSE: CBE).
 
"The Blizzard of 2010 was a major storm, shutting down interstates and causing disruptions throughout the Philadelphia region," said MaryAnn Tierney, Director of Emergency Management in Philadelphia, PA. "We used our Cooper Notification RSAN system, known as ReadyNotifyPA, to share information between public safety officials and emergency responders, city departments, and private utility providers.  ReadyNotifyPA was also essential in keeping the general public informed during these extreme weather conditions."

Through RSAN, emergency management personnel at government buildings, college campuses and healthcare facilities were able to send geographically targeted alerts, even during power outages, to communities across the Mid-Atlantic from Richmond, Va. to Philadelphia.  Alerts were sent simultaneously via e-mail, text and voice to cell phones, landlines, smart phones, pagers and other devices. Utilizing multiple delivery channels increases the likelihood each population will receive the message no matter where they are located or evacuated.

”We are pleased to help communities across the Mid-Atlantic communicate critical information to protect, alert and inform their citizens during these record-breaking winter storms,” said Scott Hearn, President, Cooper Notification.  “Timely, reliable and effective communications is vital when it comes to public safety, and we’d like to thank our customers such as the National Capital Region, Virginia Community College System and the Philadelphia metropolitan area for an exceptional job in not only communicating to emergency management personnel but also providing direction to their communities in a timely manner."
 
Cooper Notification: Delivering Critical Alerts when it Matters Most
Cooper Notification, the industry’s most comprehensive, multi-layered Mass Notification System (MNS) provider, provides critical, emergency communications for cities and counties across the U.S. With 500 MNS systems around the globe, other installations include U.S. military sites; university and college campuses; state and federal agencies; airports; and hospitals.  Integrated with one simple-to-use interface, Cooper Notifications reliable and effective MNS solutions allow emergency officials to send event-specific instructions to multiple communication channels, including voice-sirens, indoor and outdoor speakers, digital signage, text messaging/SMS alerting, automated dialing systems, desktop alerts, and email notifications. These systems play an important role in emergency alerting and information sharing among government leadership, first responders, critical infrastructure providers, businesses and citizens.
 
Editors Note:  For additional information, contact Lauren Ban at (412) 251-4001 or lauren.ban@bm.com.
 
About Cooper Notification
Cooper Notification, a solution platform of The Cooper Safety Division, is comprised of several businesses with decades of experience and innovation in the development of high quality products and solutions.  With the ever present need to protect, alert and inform, Cooper Notification is focused on meeting the growing demand for personnel and property safety. We are the source for notification solutions supporting Fire, Security, Hazardous area, Mass Notification, Voice evacuation and Industrial Signaling applications and operating under the powerful global brands of Fulleon, MEDC, Roam Secure, SAFEPATH, WAVES and Wheelock.  For more information, visit the web site at www.coopernotification.com.
 
About Cooper Industries
Cooper Industries plc (NYSE: CBE) is a global manufacturer with 2009 revenues of $5.1 billion, approximately eighty-nine percent of which are from electrical products.  Founded in 1833, Cooper's sustained level of success is attributable to a constant focus on innovation, evolving business practices while maintaining the highest ethical standards, and meeting customer needs.  The Company has eight operating divisions with leading market share positions and world-class products and brands including: Bussmann electrical and electronic fuses; Crouse-Hinds and CEAG explosion-proof electrical equipment; Halo and Metalux lighting fixtures; and Kyle and McGraw-Edison power systems products.  With this broad range of products, Cooper is uniquely positioned for several long-term growth trends including the global infrastructure build-out, the need to improve the reliability and productivity of the electric grid, the demand for higher energy-efficient products and the need for improved electrical safety.  In 2009, sixty-one percent of total sales were to customers in the industrial and utility end-markets and thirty-nine percent of total sales were to customers outside the United States.  Cooper has manufacturing facilities in 23 countries as of 2009.  For more information, visit the website at www.cooperindustries.com.