by Maj. Cotton Puryear, Virginia Guard Public Affairs -
The Virginia National Guard conducted a four-day hurricane preparedness exercise at the State Military Reservation in Virginia Beach with the goal of improving the Virginia Guard's ability to plan and carry out domestic operations in conjunction with state agencies and local first responders.
The NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) CAGE (Commercial and Government Entity) code identifies Universal Detection as a government contractor that is allowed to market its biological weapon detection system to NATO affiliated countries.
"LIGATT Security will continue to strive for company expansion through seeking & incorporating a network of innovators who are equally determined as us to reach new heights in technology. By purchasing Cyber Defense Systems, Inc., we will be able to partner with fellow security experts like William Robinson to be a force against international terror" says Gregory Evans, CEO of LIGATT.
"Efficiency Review is changing the way DHS (Department of Homeland Security) does business - eliminating waste, improving customer service, and making the most of taxpayer dollars," said Secretary Napolitano. "Every dollar saved and every efficiency realized helps us better fulfill our critical mission-to secure the country and protect the American people."
GE Security will supply state-of-the-art metro safety solutions consisting of fire alarm systems, gas release control systems, and integrated metro security systems to meet the rising demands in the fast-growing Chinese urban mass transit sector.
FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) Administrator W. Craig Fugate met with the Commander, U.S. Northern Command, Gen. Gene Renuart, to discuss pre-disaster planning, response & recovery in support of the federal response to the 2009 hurricane season as well as wild fires, floods & other potential disasters.
Paraclete's Templar Ballistic Packages provide law-enforcement officers and military personnel with maximum ballistic protection along with lightweight waterproof comfort. Templar Armor ballistic packages are now certified to NIJ (National Institute of Justice) Standard 0101.06 Ballistic Resistance of Body Armor.
"Disaster response always has an element of uncertainty," says Joe Becker, senior vice president of disaster services for the American Red Cross. "However, by strategically acting in advance, we can profoundly impact the number of lives we save and livelihoods we preserve."
Firefighters, policemen, EMS technicians, & other first responders agree that one of their biggest on-the-job difficulties has been their inability to communicate with their counterparts from other jurisdictions. That huge capabilities "gap" may soon be closed, thanks to improved technology and better planning.
Numerous mass-casualty incidents have demonstrated the value of building and staffing a number of medical centers dealing primarily with trauma and burn patients. But even those centers may not be able to care for all victims of a "mega-disaster" such as the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
FEMA has announced that more than 1,200 national, regional, tribal, state, and local businesses and organizations have pledged their support and joined the 2009 National Preparedness Month Coalition.
The Scott Protégé multi-gas monitor is a technologically advanced, feature-rich, portable multi-gas monitor for industrial and fire applications. The Protégé is the first to receive full 913 7th edition certification two years before it is required.
"The technology has advanced in recent years to a point that we believe it could help meet a surge in demand for U.S.-based vaccine for seasonal and pandemic flu," HHS (Health & Human Services) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said. "We want to use the technology to help our nation respond to emerging infectious diseases."
APCO (Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials) International & NENA (National Emergency Number Association) have announced approval of the American National Standards Institute to assist public-safety answering points & governing 9-1-1 authorities with the information required for developing, training, equipping & deploying a TERT team.
The IMDSS (Incident Management Decision Support System) is a software tool that aggregates diverse information pertinent to the management of an emergency into one geospatially organized digital dashboard.
DHS has conducted an exercise to test the readiness and capabilities of federal departments and agencies - coordinating with the White House - to execute their continuity-of-operations (COOP) plans.
Matt A. Mayer has written an insider's account of what he believes is wrong with the U.S. homeland security program & how to fix it. "Homeland Security & Federalism: Protecting America from Outside the Beltway" presents a compelling case that the best way to secure America is by giving states & local communities, which have a rich history of solving America's toughest challenges, greater responsibilities.
The Chemical Facility Antiterrorism Act of 2009 makes the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards permanent and enhances the program by making facilities, as a part of their vulnerability assessments, analyze how they can change their internal processes to reduce the consequences of a terrorist attack at the facility.
DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano announced nearly $1.8 billion in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) preparedness grants designed to help states, urban areas, tribal governments, & non-profit agencies improve their readiness by enhancing protection, prevention, response, & recovery capabilities for all disasters.
The companies seek to develop a combined technology platform that will enable broadcasters to offer emergency information to the general public, as well as to targeted populations, such as first responders, government agencies, or individuals with special needs or in specific geographic areas.
Thanks to EMAC, ESF-8, and other mutual-assistance policies and programs, individual states no longer have to go it alone when facing a hurricane, an earthquake, a terrorist attack, and/or other disasters, natural or manmade.
The former TOPOFF domestic-preparedness exercises designed to test the capabilities and fortitude of the U.S. defense/DHS hierarchy have evolved into a new format - which the nation's new commander in chief will meet face to face next month.
ICx has redefined the field-based analysis of unknown materials with the introduction of Fido Verdict, a palm-size instrument used for rapidly identifying suspicious liquids, solids, and powdered materials.
HHS (Department of Health and Human Services) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius & DHS (Department of Homeland Security) Secretary Janet Napolitano issued their statements in response to the WHO decision to raise the pandemic threat level on the novel H1N1 virus.
NIST has released the first installment - "NIST Special Publication 800-53, Revision 3, Recommended Security Controls for Federal Information Systems and Organizations" - of a three-year effort to build a unified information-security framework for the entire federal government.
The Environics CBRN Event Module provides an easy, fast, and reliable way to guarantee the safety of an event, building, or site without resorting to installation of a permanent fixed CBRN (chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear) protection system.
Margaret Chan, director-general of WHO, has raised the level of influenza pandemic alert from phase 5 to phase 6, basing her decision on available evidence and expert assessments of that evidence.
Savi's hybrid ST-694 GlobalTag provides defense, public-sector, and commercial customers with continuous monitoring and precise location information of supply-chain assets almost anytime and anywhere, including areas where there is no terrestrial reader infrastructure.
Ballista-Tek, the specialist interior blast-protection division of Exmoor Trim Limited, has developed blast-attenuating vehicle seating and floor matting designed to increase survivability and reduce injury to troops in armored and light vehicles.
The Avon NH15 Escape Hood is the most compact NIOSH-approved CBRN hood on the market. Users achieve critical CBRN respiratory protection within 20 seconds of opening the protective packaging and donning the reflective hood.
Most terrorist attacks against the United States have been large-scale incidents. But the demonstrated willingness of individual martyr-terrorists to serve as suicide bombers has changed the equation and requires much greater attention than it has been given so far.
The children and grandchildren of the Greatest Generation that won World War II are worthy successors, serving their nation as firefighters, policemen, EMS technicians, and hazmat specialists. Many of them also demonstrate, with their own lives, the last full measure of devotion.
"Our private sector partners play a critical role in the immediate response ... [and in] the public's awareness and preparedness before a disaster. I look forward to continuing and expanding our partnerships," said FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate.
The T2 Tango Tactical Armor combines reliable ballistic protection with flexibility, comfort, and practicality for today's law-enforcement applications.
The PPEK kit is designed to handle dozens of different sample types, replacing the need for multiple specialized kits, and offers vast improvements and efficiencies over previous sample preparation methods.
InSight's combined data-discovery and risk-exposure analyses provide automated, reproducible, and scalable metrics to security, audit, and compliance staffs, maintaining the clarity they need to prioritize and mitigate risk in a cost-effective and sensible way.
An emergency preparedness kit should include enough food and water for three days for each family member, a battery-powered or hand-crank radio, a flashlight, spare batteries, a first-aid kit, a can opener, local maps, moist towelettes, toilet paper, and garbage bags with plastic ties for personal sanitation.
The primary goal is to strengthen border hazardous-material response capabilities by building capacity in Mexico to respond to environmental pollution incidents that impact or threaten to impact the environment and public health within the border region.
The bill (HR 2200) triples funding for surface transportation security, greatly improves general and commercial aviation security, and strengthens security training for the U.S. transportation work force.
"The El Paso Independent School District is very serious about preparing for any emergency that may impact schools in the district," said Jim Finnell, President & CEO of Prepared Response. "By including local police and fire agencies in the training, both district administrators & first responders are now more familiar with each other's role during a crisis."
"Centralizing our cybersecurity efforts under Phil's leadership will help create a unified DHS as we continue to adapt to an ever-changing array of threats. Together, Phil, Bruce & Greg will guide the Department's efforts to prevent cyber attacks and protect the nation's critical information systems & networks," said DHS Secretary Napolitano.
First-person report: How Kentucky coped with "frozen Hell" earlier this year by making full use of not only its own responder capabilities but also those available through CDC's Career Epidemiology Field Officer program.
The "revolutionary era" of U.S. homeland security started with the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001. A new era, focused on the maintenance and upgrading of hard-earned responder skills, is about to begin.
GE's EST3-Sixty Mass Notification/Emergency Communications (MNEC) solution; provides new levels of protection and communications access to people in educational, military, industrial, commercial, and other facilities of any size.
DHS began collecting biometrics-digital fingerprints - from non-U.S. citizens departing the United States - as part of a pilot program at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport.
APSG is currently the only designated provider of architectural-hardening products, and it joins the ranks of prestigious DHS designees that include ADT Security Systems, Northrop Grumman Space & Mission Systems Corporation, and the Raytheon Company.
The AutoRAE Lite is a high-speed, low-operating-cost bump-test and calibration station that stores each calibrated unit's data. The QRAE II is a toxic-gas monitor used in confined space entry and industrial safety applications.
The Technion team developed a device for identifying traces of TATP (triacetone-triperoxide) and other peroxide-based explosives. The Peroxide Explosive Tester (PET), which resembles a three-color ballpoint pen, changes color when it has been in contact with explosive samples.
"Based on the lessons learned from prior natural disasters, APCO International recommends that communications centers be prepared for inoperable systems, loss of power, and security, personnel, and supply needs," said APCO International Executive Director George S. Rice Jr.
"Peridox with the Electrostatic Decontamination System," created by Clean Earth Technologies, can decontaminate buildings, structures, vehicles, ships, aircraft, personal protective equipment, and other items infected with anthrax spores.
With the beginning of the 2009 Atlantic Hurricane Season, hurricane-prone states across the country are doing their part to help prepare their citizens and communities.
