The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued MadahCom Inc., Sarasota, Fla., a division of Cooper Industries, a certification for its WAVES mass notification system (MNS) as an “approved product for homeland security” under the Support Anti-terrorism by Fostering Effective Technologies Act of 2002 (SAFETY Act). This act provides legal liability protection for MadahCom and its customers of WAVES, a “qualified anti-terrorism” technology.

“The SAFETY Act certification is an important and significant risk mitigation tool for our customers,” said David Scharf, general manager of MadahCom. “If an act of terrorism occurs, for example on a college campus involving one of our customers who has deployed WAVES, an ‘approved anti-terror product,’ that customer may seek immediate dismissal from all resulting lawsuits.”

The purpose of the SAFETY Act is to ensure that the threat of liability does not deter potential manufacturers and sellers of anti-terrorism technologies from developing and commercializing technologies that could save lives. The act creates certain liability limitations for “claims arising out of, relating to, or resulting from an act of terrorism” where qualified anti-terrorism technologies have been deployed. The SAFETY Act is effective if the product or service has been approved by the DHS prior to the act of terrorism.

MadahCom, part of Cooper Wheelock’s notification systems business, received the designation for its WAVES (Wireless Audio Visual Emergency System) and its portable TACWAVES (Tactical WAVES) technology. The technology provides mass notification to alert, warn and inform people of actions to take in the event of a terrorist attack. For more information, visit www.madah.com.