Technology

Facilitron Enhances School Emergency Preparedness with Advanced Facility Management Solutions

Published

2 years ago

October 8, 2024

LOS GATOS, Calif., Oct. 8, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — As schools and districts across the nation face increasing threats from natural disasters, active shooter incidents, and public health emergencies, Facilitron is stepping up to provide cutting-edge solutions to help educational institutions better manage facility security and respond to emergencies. With school facilities serving as hubs for a variety of community activities, including public uses such as polling places during elections, it is critical that schools maintain up-to-date records of who is on campus at any given time. Facilitron’s comprehensive facility management platform is designed to support schools in preparing for, managing, and recovering from a wide range of emergency scenarios and public facility use.

Facilitron plays a vital role in enhancing emergency preparedness and disaster management for schools. Key features of Facilitron’s platform, such as facility scheduling, utilization tracking, preventive maintenance, and inspection tools, have proven essential in responding to crises such as recent hurricane activity in the Southeast, wildfire responses in the West, and even tragic events like the Garlic Festival shooting in Gilroy, California.

“Facilitron is more than a facility scheduling tool—it’s a platform enabling schools to proactively prepare for emergencies, track real-time usage of their spaces, know exactly who’s on campus, and efficiently manage the recovery process after disasters,” says Cheryl Galloway, Director of Community Engagement at Facilitron. “From managing polling places and emergency shelters to documenting facility conditions for FEMA applications, our platform empowers schools to stay ready and resilient.”

Key Highlights of Facilitron’s Role in Emergency Management:

Scheduling and Event Management: Facilitron helps schools efficiently manage event scheduling, including for polling places and emergency shelters, ensuring that facilities are properly maintained and available for critical use during disasters.Disaster Preparedness and Recovery: Facilitron’s preventive maintenance tools and photography features document facility conditions before and after disasters, streamlining the insurance and FEMA reimbursement process. The platform also tracks work orders for repairs and provides data for grant applications related to disaster mitigation and recovery.Emergency Shelters and Community Safety: Facilitron manages emergency shelters during hurricanes, wildfires, and mass shooting incidents, such as the Garlic Festival shooting. Its attendee management tools help schools track who is on site during emergencies, ensuring accountability and safety.Collaboration with Local First Responders: Facilitron supports joint emergency drills with local first responders, helping schools build strong relationships with fire, police, and medical teams. These collaborations improve overall emergency response readiness by familiarizing first responders with school layouts and enhancing coordination during real events.

Real-World Impact:

Florida School Districts: During hurricane season, districts like Orange County Public Schools and Sarasota County Public Schools used Facilitron to manage Red Cross shelters, document facility conditions, and track recovery efforts.Wildfires in California: In Gilroy, Facilitron helped transform city parks into firefighter encampments and managed facility usage during poor air quality events caused by wildfires, ensuring the community stayed safe indoors.Post-Shooting Recovery: In the aftermath of the Garlic Festival shooting, Facilitron was used to manage Red Cross shelters and coordinate FBI interviews at designated facilities, providing a critical infrastructure backbone during the recovery phase.

Facilitron is committed to continuing its support of schools and districts as they enhance their emergency preparedness efforts. By providing a platform that not only manages day-to-day facility use but also supports schools during their most critical moments, Facilitron helps build safer, more resilient communities.

About Facilitron:
Headquartered in Los Gatos, California, Facilitron is a comprehensive and data-driven facilities management platform and public spaces rental marketplace with a mission to help operators like schools and cities meet community space rental needs more effectively. By integrating work orders, facility use scheduling, and the leasing process of facilities and public/private spaces into one singular system-of-record, Facilitron allows operators to showcase and monetize their spaces, keeping them safe and secure while funding their upkeep, maintenance, and staffing. As the world’s largest public spaces marketplace, with more than 12,000 schools across 31 states and billions of square feet of facility space on its platform, Facilitron has processed and supported millions of community events since its founding in 2014. Beyond simply providing software and marketplace capabilities, Facilitron offers its partners valuable business and financial services and serves as an advisory partner to train and support administrators, developing customized facility management programs and generating millions of dollars in additional revenue for schools and other public space operators while better serving community needs.

For more information about Facilitron and its services, please visit www.facilitron.com.

Contact:
Mercer Brockenbrough
mercer@facilitron.com

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SOURCE Facilitron

Technology

FranklinWH Introduces Enhanced 15 kWh aPower in Australia and New Zealand

Published

55 minutes ago

May 3, 2026

Expansion comes as policy shifts and rising power costs accelerate demand for residential energy storage

SYDNEY, May 4, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — FranklinWH, a leading provider of whole-home energy management and battery storage solutions, today announced the launch of its enhanced 15 kWh aPower battery in Australia and New Zealand, as demand for residential energy storage continues to grow, driven by evolving policy settings and increasing interest in energy independence.

The updated aPower builds on the company’s established platform, increasing usable capacity from 13.6 kWh to 15 kWh and raising warrantied throughput from 43 MWh to 60 MWh, an increase of 40 percent. These updates deliver more usable energy over the life of the system while maintaining the same footprint and price.

“The energy landscape is shifting quickly, and more homeowners are thinking beyond the upfront specs to what really pays off over time,” said Steve Ruskin, General Manager of FranklinWH Australia. “This upgrade is about delivering more performance over the life of the system, more usable energy, greater throughput, while staying true to our ‘buy once, buy right’ philosophy.”

The increase in warrantied throughput translates into savings for homeowners. Based on typical usage patterns and an electricity rate of A$0.35 per kilowatt-hour, the additional throughput may represent up to approximately A$5,950 in value over the lifetime of the system. The increase in usable capacity also improves energy density, lowering the effective cost per kilowatt-hour and supporting more efficient use of stored energy.

The 15 kWh configuration also aligns with current and upcoming policy frameworks benefitting residential battery adoption. This includes the updated Cheaper Home Batteries Program, with changes coming into effect for Australian homeowners from 1 May, 2026, helping households maximise value as incentives continue to evolve.

As the residential battery market expands, FranklinWH continues to focus on reliability and system performance. The aPower incorporates design elements to support durability, including structural reinforcement to reduce cell stress over time, per-cell temperature monitoring, and the separation of the battery pack and control systems to maintain reliable performance.

“We believe performance should be measured over years, not just at installation,” Ruskin added. “We focus on building systems that deliver consistent, reliable results over time. That long-term perspective is what ultimately defines value for homeowners.”

The aPower is designed to operate as part of the FranklinWH System, an integrated home energy management platform that coordinates energy generation, storage, and consumption. The system is designed to optimise multiple energy inputs, provide reliable backup power, and support more efficient and independent energy use at the household level.

About FranklinWH

FranklinWH Energy Storage is the manufacturer of the FranklinWH System. FranklinWH is a market-oriented, research-driven company focused on next-generation residential energy management and storage solutions. Located in Macquarie Park, Sydney with a global head office in the San Francisco Bay Area, FranklinWH’s team has decades of experience in energy systems, from design, through manufacturing, to sales and installation. FranklinWH is AVL-listed with multiple financial institutions.

Contact: Media@franklinwh.com

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SOURCE FranklinWH Australia Pty Ltd

Technology

Peninsula Visa Launches Comprehensive OCI Processing Services

Published

3 hours ago

May 3, 2026

Peninsula Visa, a trusted leader in immigration and visa processing services with over 50 years of expertise, today announced the launch of its comprehensive Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) processing services. To celebrate this milestone, Peninsula Visa is offering new users an exclusive 20% discount with promo code OCI20 at checkout.

SAN JOSE, Calif., May 3, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Peninsula Visa, a trusted leader in immigration and visa processing services with over 50 years of expertise, today announced the launch of its comprehensive Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) processing services. To celebrate this milestone, Peninsula Visa is offering new users an exclusive 20% discount with promo code OCI20 at checkout.

For 50 years, Peninsula Visa has helped families navigate immigration. OCI processing is one of our most impactful services, connecting the Indian diaspora to their heritage. We’re proud to bring our expertise to help families secure OCI status with confidence. Evan James, CEO

A Full Suite of OCI Services

Peninsula Visa’s OCI services cover every stage of the OCI lifecycle, ensuring that members of the Indian diaspora receive expert support from start to finish.

The four service types now available are:

New OCI Application — For foreign nationals of Indian origin, spouses of Indian citizens or existing OCI card holders, and minor children with at least one Indian parent applying for OCI status for the first time.OCI Card Renewal — For card holders whose OCI card has expired, or whose linked passport has been renewed or replaced and requires an updated booklet.Re-issuance (Age Milestones) — OCI cards must be re-issued when minors reach the age of 18 and again when card holders turn 50, due to significant changes in appearance. Peninsula Visa guides clients through both transitions seamlessly.Miscellaneous OCI Services — Covering corrections to existing records, lost or damaged card replacement, address changes, and other administrative updates to the OCI file.

Why Choose Peninsula Visa for Your OCI Application

Peninsula Visa brings decades of institutional knowledge and a client-first philosophy to every OCI case.

Key value propositions include:

Expert Guidance — Dedicated OCI specialists with deep knowledge of consulate requirements, eligibility rules, and documentation standards across all service types.High Approval Rate — A meticulous multi-stage review process that identifies and resolves issues before submission, dramatically reducing the likelihood of rejection or delay.Fast Turnaround — Standard processing in 12-15 Business Days for most OCI service types, with real-time status updates throughout the process.End-to-End Support — Personalized document checklists, secure document uploads, expert form preparation, consulate submission, and post-submission tracking — all in one place.

Launch Promotion

Save 20% on any OCI service — new users only

OCI20

Enter code OCI20 at checkout. Available to new users. No expiration date.

Leadership Perspective

“For 50 years, Peninsula Visa has helped individuals and families navigate the complexities of immigration documentation. OCI processing is one of the most impactful services we have ever added — it directly connects the Indian diaspora to their heritage country in a lasting, meaningful way. We are proud to bring our proven expertise and client-centric approach to this important service, and we look forward to helping thousands of families secure their OCI status with confidence.”

Founded in 1975, Peninsula Visa has built its reputation on precision, transparency, and a genuine commitment to client outcomes. The addition of OCI processing services reflects the company’s ongoing mission to expand its offerings to meet the evolving needs of immigrants and their families across the United States.

Get Started Today

Eligible applicants can begin their OCI journey by visiting Peninsula Visa’s dedicated OCI Services page. New users can take advantage of the 20% launch discount by entering promo code OCI20 at checkout when selecting any OCI service type.

Media Contact

Evan James, Peninsula Visa, 1 4087277515, media@peninsulavisa.com, https://peninsulavisa.com/

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prweb.com/releases/peninsula-visa-launches-comprehensive-oci-processing-services-302760544.html

SOURCE Peninsula Visa

Technology

Peninsula Visa Launches Comprehensive OCI Processing Services

Published

3 hours ago

May 3, 2026

A Full Suite of OCI Services

Peninsula Visa’s OCI services cover every stage of the OCI lifecycle, ensuring that members of the Indian diaspora receive expert support from start to finish.

The four service types now available are:

Why Choose Peninsula Visa for Your OCI Application

Peninsula Visa brings decades of institutional knowledge and a client-first philosophy to every OCI case.

Key value propositions include:

Launch Promotion

Save 20% on any OCI service — new users only

OCI20

Enter code OCI20 at checkout. Available to new users. No expiration date.

Leadership Perspective

Get Started Today

Media Contact

Evan James, Peninsula Visa, 1 4087277515, media@peninsulavisa.com, https://peninsulavisa.com/