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SEARCH Welcomes New Public Safety Technology Specialist

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SEARCH is pleased to announce that Mr. Robert E. Nibarger has joined the team as a Public Safety Technology Specialist in the Public Safety Programs division, effective September 24, 2009.

In this position, Mr. Nibarger will provide technical assistance to public safety agencies nationwide in automated systems development, planning and integration of communications and information technology, and communications interoperability and wireless issues.

Mr. Nibarger has 13 years of experience in public safety emergency communications, plus experience in law enforcement and education. His expertise includes project management, strategic planning, needs assessments and requests for proposals development, vendor evaluations, and contract negotiations.

"I'm very pleased that Robert has joined us," said Public Safety Programs director Mr. Doug Onhaizer. "Robert's past employment has given him the exact skill set we need in our program and I'm sure he's going to be a valuable member on our team."

Prior to joining SEARCH, Mr. Nibarger was the 9-1-1 Emergency Communications Coordinator for the City of Virginia Beach, Virginia, for nine years. His responsibilities included managing a large voice and data network and serving as the incident manager during emergencies; he oversaw a budget of $7 million.

Preceding his Virginia Beach employment, Mr. Nibarger was the 9-1-1 Coordinator for Sarasota County, Florida, and the operations chief for the county's Emergency Management. While in Sarasota, he became a certified emergency manager and coordinated numerous emergencies, including wildfires, floods, and hurricanes. He also served as a police officer in Indiana.

Mr. Nibarger's participation in local, regional, and national committees includes:

• Member of the nationally recognized Hampton Roads Overlay Regional Interoperability Network (ORION)
• Member, National Emergency Number Association (NENA) committee
• Chair, Hampton Roads PSAP manager's group
• Past board member, Florida Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO)
• Past president, Florida NENA

Mr. Nibarger holds a master of arts degree in education and a bachelor of science degree in radio and television. He is a graduate of the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy.