(SACRAMENTO, CA) August 29, 2007 –NCI Communications, Inc. will support the 2008 California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) workshop series covering the essentials of emergency response and recovery. The workshops are designed specifically for rural and small-urban transit operators, emergency managers, first responders, port authorities, rail systems and Caltrans district staff.

“Rural transit systems, just like their urban counterparts, must be prepared to actively respond to all types of hazards and emergencies. This includes accidents, acts of nature, criminal activity, and even terrorist threat,” said James Ogbonna, Rail and Transit Security Coordinator for Caltrans.

Each two-day workshop will feature presentations delivered by safety, security and emergency response experts who have been at the center of recent emergencies; roundtable discussions with the speakers; and a daylong tabletop exercise using possible California disaster scenarios.

NCI staff will support several facets of the workshop series including marketing, promotion and photo/video documentation. Additionally, NCI President Jim Chesnutt will be a featured speaker discussing crisis communications. NCI Vice President Mark Amann will serve as one of the facilitators for the exercise portion of the workshops. The primary contractor for the entire workshop series is Communiqué USA.

A final report will be developed, based on input from workshop participants, outlining new emergency plan guidelines specific to community transit in California.

The events are being co-sponsored by a variety of Caltrans partner agencies including the California Transit Association, the California Association for Coordinated Transportation (CalACT), the California Office of Emergency Services (OES), the California Office of Homeland Security, the California Emergency Utility Association, the Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments (AMBAG), the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) and the Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG).