Wake County, NC Utilizes FM:Systems Software to Help Victims of Hurricane Katrina

Efficiencies gained from FM:Interact helped coordinate services providers and transitioned more than 400 evacuees within 30 days

Raleigh, N.C. –February 28, 2006 - FM:Systems, a provider of integrated workplace management systems (IWMS), announced today that Wake County, North Carolina’s  General Services Administration (GSA) utilized FM:System’s software to relocate evacuees in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.  GSA turned to FM:Interact, FM:System’s flagship product, to organize and convey facility information to both the evacuees and service providers such as FEMA and the Red Cross. 

In September 2005, Wake County and the City of Raleigh were notified by Federal and State authorities to prepare an evacuation shelter within 24 hours. In partnership with other county agencies, the GSA was able to find and lease an 180,000 square foot building and bring on line critical life safety, mechanical, security and cafeteria systems – all within one day. Once the facility was ready, FM:Interact helped GSA organize critical services in the facility such as FEMA, Red Cross, Salvation Army, Post Office, Social Security, HUD and the Employment Security Commission as well as individual rooms for evacuees and their families. As a result, more than 400 evacuees were admitted to the shelter.

“Within 36 hours we had a framework for managing the evacuees and all the services they needed.  This created a common language around the building that resulted in a very efficient and organized operation. Evacuees knew where they needed to go for services and support,” said David L. Goodwin, director of General Services Administration.  “As the evacuees transitioned out of the temporary shelter and the evacuee population declined we used FM:Interact to consolidate the remaining evacuees. This reduced the square footage and support required to manage the population and eased the location and connection of evacuees to the service providers they needed.”

Added Goodwin, “we did not change one business process to do this, we just applied what we knew and ‘added a building’ in our existing FM:Systems solution.”

FM:Interact, a modular suite of web-based applications, allows organizations to access and analyze facilities, real estate and maintenance information in real-time. By providing accurate, up-to-date information workplace professionals can deliver better customer service, reduce costs, and improve productivity across the entire organization. FM:Interact modules include Space Management, Lease and Property Management, Asset Management, Strategic Planning, Move Management, and Service Request Management.

“Since founding this company more than 22 years ago, it has always been our goal to provide facility professionals with a tool to improve customer service,” said Michael Schley, CEO and founder of FM:Systems.  “I can’t think of a better example than to provide these critical services to those in need and am thrilled that we could play a small part in helping to rebuild their lives.”

About FM:Systems, Inc.
FM:Systems, Inc. provides integrated workplace management systems (IWMS) that help facilities and real estate professionals deliver better customer service, reduce costs, and improve the productivity of the entire organization.

Customers take advantage of FM:Systems’ web-based applications to improve facilities and space management, real estate and portfolio management, and maintenance management. Technology strengths including seamless, direct CAD integration and powerful forecasting and planning tools give customers better control over current operations and an unmatched ability to prepare for and respond to change. By offering lean, agile software, FM:Systems delivers flexible and easy-to-use solutions that provide a high return on investment and reduces the time and cost to implement and deploy solutions.

Many of the world’s leading organizations rely on FM:Systems solutions such as Bellsouth, Cendant, Computer Associates, Devon Energy, Federal Aviation Administration, GMAC Financial Services, Lockheed Martin, NASD, Northwestern University, Novartis Pharmaceuticals, Progress Energy, Target Stores and Wyeth Pharmaceuticals.  FM:Systems is headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina and conducts business in the Americas, Europe, and Asia Pacific. For more information about FM Systems, please visit www.fmsystems.com or call 1-800-648-8030.

Media Contact
Crossroads Public Relations on behalf of FM:Systems
919-844-3733
FMS@crossroadspr.com