As required by the bipartisan FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has proposed a rule that would require the largest food businesses in the United States and abroad to take steps to prevent facilities from being the target of intentional attempts to contaminate the food supply.
To help entire communities recover from the Nov. 17 Illinois tornadoes, the Federal Emergency Management Agency is working to make sure survivors with disabilities and those with functional needs have equal access to disaster assistance programs.
Collaboration between Security Industry Association (SIA) and the County Executives of America (CEA) draws upon the technological expertise of suppliers with senior county executive's firm grasp of local public safety needs to identify gaps in emergency preparedness that may be solved through the application of certain physical security technologies
The Department of Homeland Security has announced that Monsignor John Brown, Walgreens drugstores, and the New York Mets have been awarded the 2013 Rick Rescorla National Award for Resilience, recognizing their contributions to their communities in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.
In a world where disasters and other emergency incidents occur every day, emergency service leaders are responsible for bringing calm and structure in the midst of crisis. Some of these leaders will begin this path as early as high school, while others will migrate to the emergency services as their roles and responsibilities change.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently announced the creation of a new, unified emergency response framework to address Huanglongbing (HLB), a serious disease of citrus that affects several U.S. states and territories.
On 18 November 2013, DomPrep hosted an executive briefing at The National Press Club to present the Resilience 2013 - Survey & Report. The survey outlined in this report is the second of a series that Booz Allen Hamilton has partnered on with DomPrep Journal. The survey drills down into policy challenges for federal programs and understanding impacts at the state and local levels, where the majority of the resilience effort is realized.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has issued food safety recommendations for those affected by recent weather systems. Power outages that result from weather emergencies compromise the safety of stored food, but there are steps that can minimize food waste and the risk of foodborne illness.
XTAR LLC, has been awarded a $5.6M contract renewal from L-3 Communication Systems-West to provide X-band satellite connectivity to the U.S. Army for manned airborne intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (AISR) mission support.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is adding nine hazardous waste sites that pose risks to peoples health and the environment to the National Priorities List (NPL) of Superfund sites. EPA is also proposing to add another eight sites to the list.
AtHoc has just announced that USS-POSCO Industries (UPI), has deployed the AtHoc Interactive Warning System (AtHoc IWS) next generation emergency mass notification system as an integral tool in its commitment to employee health and safety and a critical component in the company's successful "zero injuries" safety program.
As security needs continue to change, the technology to meet those needs also must constantly evolve. In 2014, five key technology trends may change the way that business managers protect their employees, data, and facilities: cloud services, wireless technologies, standards, distance biometrics, and business intelligence.
Different people have different learning styles; therefore, an effective training process must be able to meet those individual needs in order to improve information retention, resolve issues, and promote an ongoing learning experience. As equipment evolves, so too must the training. Otherwise, that shiny new equipment may simply gather dust.
The Honorable Tom Ridge, President and CEO of Ridge Global, an international provider of security and risk management services, has announced that Thomas Betro, former director of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS), and vice president at NTT DATA, has joined as an advisor. Betro will work closely with Ridge Global's Flag Bridge strategic maritime team to help guide the expansion of a global maritime criminal investigation service.
New technologies and response equipment - combined with social media and mobile applications - are changing the way law enforcement agencies protect themselves and their communities. What were once only possible in science-fiction movies are increasingly growing in use within law enforcement communities across the nation - drones, facial recognition, and instant data access and analysis.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has implemented a plan to help phase out the use of medically important antimicrobials in food animals for food production purposes, such as enhancing growth or improving feed efficiency.
Recently, Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Rand Beers officiated the ceremonial swearing in of Dr. Huban Gowadia as director of the Department of Homeland Security's Domestic Nuclear Detection Office.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has released its Salmonella Action Plan, which outlines the steps it will take to address the most pressing problem it faces - salmonella in meat and poultry products.
The United States continues to face the reality that terrorist threats are increasing. In a recent bipartisan interview, the Senate Intelligence Committee reported that the nation is in greater danger of a terrorist attack than it was two years ago.
Food, like water and air, is essential to sustain life. As such, when someone deliberately taints that sustenance at any point in the food supply chain, the result can be devastating. This report addresses the topic of food defense, which is of great importance to the preparedness community, but it often is not widely understood, especially outside the food and agriculture sector.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, recently released a report highlighting the benefits of receiving a flu vaccine. Flu vaccination prevented an estimated 6.6 million influenza-associated illnesses, 3.2 million medically attended illnesses, and 79,000 hospitalizations during the 2012-2013 flu season.
Preparing for any disaster is essential for an effective incident response. However, by failing to properly prepare and train employees, agencies also are more vulnerable to potential liabilities. Past legal cases and court rulings highlight the consequences that agencies have faced as a result of inadequate training practices. Reduced funding may not an acceptable excuse.
New technologies and equipment mean new training concerns. Ensuring that responders are capable of choosing the right equipment for an incident, knowing how to use it, and accurately interpreting the results are regular challenges for first responders and hazardous materials teams. To address these challenges, experts offer multi-technology support.
Many cities across the United States are not adequately prepared to accommodate people with disabilities during and in the wake of major disasters. However, some of the current gaps in whole-community preparedness are beginning to close. If more-inclusive planning efforts continue to expand, communities will be able to better meet the needs of all of its citizens.
The Kore Kooler® Rehab Chair, a popular solution for reducing heat stress on the body, is now back in production thanks to a new agreement with DQE to manufacture the product. The Kore Kooler® Rehab Chair provides an effective means of lowering body temperature through hand and forearm immersion.
The chemical and biological protective ensemble is a layered clothing system that consists of a lightweight combat uniform worn over a chem/bio protective undergarment. This clothing system provides enhanced individual protective capabilities through superior protection and integrates easily with current combat gear and personal protective equipment.
According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), increased awareness and implementation of proper food safety in restaurants and delis may help prevent many of the foodborne illness outbreaks reported each year in the United States. Researchers identified gaps in two critical tools necessary in preventing a very common and costly public health problem.
"Police and military organizations continue to see value in the dual-purpose LRAD family of products that allow for intelligible mass communication and emergency warning, and effective public safety and crowd control," said Thomas Brown, president and CEO of LRAD Corporation. "One of our main focuses this past year has been to increase our business development efforts in international markets, and these orders are the result of those efforts."
China should tailor its influenza vaccination strategies to account for its three distinct flu regions, according to the first comprehensive study of that nation's flu patterns. The study, carried out by a research team of Chinese and American scientists, focused on the seasonality of the disease across China to help optimize the timing of future vaccination programs.
The devastating impacts of Hurricane Sandy and other natural disasters that have followed stress the importance of improving disaster-response planning. By gathering and sharing information, however, everyone can play a greater role in reducing risk and creating communities that are more resilient.
The important on-scene roles played by emergency medical technicians (EMTs) may soon be shifting both upward and outward. Moreover, as various jurisdictions allow EMTs to carry out more life-saving interventions, paramedics will be able to expand their individual and collective capabilities to include the use of such new technologies as portable imaging devices.
"ESS is proud to supply Avon Protection's customers with the highest quality prescription optics for those who need vision correction," said Mike Vigueria, Government Contracts Manager of Eye Safety Systems (ESS). "The Avon 50 Series is the leading mask for law enforcement and tactical users around the globe. Those users can now rely on the most advanced optical manufacturing controls available from a brand partner that understands emergency equipment and the unique demands on those who use it."
Rear Admiral William Lee, Deputy for Operations Policy & Capabilities in the office of U.S. Coast Guard Operations provides written testimony before the Subcommittee on Border and Maritime Security of the House Committee on Homeland Security. In that testimony, he discusses the Coast Guard's role in maritime border security.
AtHoc Inc. has announced that the Eastman Chemical Company has successfully implemented the AtHoc Interactive Warning System (AtHoc IWS) for its next-generation emergency mass-notification system. By selecting an IP-based mass communications platform, Eastman unifies traditional analog, digital, IP, mobility, and radio technologies into one complete and fully integrated interactive crisis communication system designed to quickly reach its workforce in any situation.
