"Laser scanners enable law enforcement personnel to safely and efficiently map an accident scene so the roadway where it occurred can be quickly re-opened to traffic," said Frank J. Hahnel, III, Leica Geosystems Accident Investigation Accounts Manager. "Fast documentation of vehicle accidents is important for commerce because it keeps people moving toward their destinations."
"The release of these principles is an important milestone in the implementation of the Beyond the Border Action Plan," said Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano. "They represent both the United States' and Canada's commitment to sharing information, while simultaneously protecting the fundamental privacy principles upon which both our nations were built."
During World War II, the United Kingdom deployed ground, air, and naval forces in a war that affected all nations around the globe. Today, London and the Olympic Games Committee are again preparing for war to cope with a broad spectrum of security threats that could affect the city's own residents as well as visitors from all parts of the world.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has announced that all eight preclearance airports in Canada now have Global Entry kiosks. Global Entry allows pre-approved, low-risk travelers the ability to bypass the traditional CBP inspection process and use automated kiosks to expedite their entry into the U.S.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has awarded Thales Communications Inc., a prime contract to provide public safety and tactical communications products to DHS under its new Tactical Communications (TacCom) program.
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) are working closely with local, state, tribal, territorial, federal, and international partners to protect the U.S./Caribbean borders from drug tracking and other criminal activities.
Able to be deployed in under two minutes by two personnel, the Base-Xpress shelter is built to withstand extreme environmental conditions and is currently available in two models with usable, clear workspace. As with all HDT Base-X shelters, the Base-Xpress shelters may be connected at the doors to provide scalable complexes that meet varying mission requirements.
Communications is a responsibility that can be particularly challenging during emergency-disaster operations. By communicating across a broad spectrum of frequencies and networks, members of Floridas Air National Guard are able to share their resources with civilian agencies and help bridge the information gap.
To avoid a recipe for disaster, the following prescription is recommended for all-hazards preparedness: two-thirds planning and one-third execution. Anything and everything can happen at a special event in communities throughout the nation, so the advance planning and training should reflect that fact.
In the United States today, losses caused by natural disasters and the frequency of such events are both on the rise. Moreover, because state and federal budgets are still declining, the nation's emergency management community is constantly challenged to do more with less, while still continuing to improve disaster resilience capabilities. A recent high-level panel discussion in the nation's capital developed recommendations for immediate and continuing improvement.
Part 4 of Dr. Vanderwagen's groundbreaking five-part series on the numerous - and extremely difficult - challenges involved in implementing the U.S. National Health Security Strategy. This white paper addresses challenges related to event management and "seeing through the fog" during the intense phase of response - i.e., when events are fluid and information is not only changing but also lacks clarity.
In the United States, losses from natural disasters and the frequency of events are on the rise. With state and federal budgets declining, the emergency management community is challenged to do more with less, while continuing to improve disaster resilience. Booz Allen Hamilton conducted a survey of hazard mitigation and hazard insurance professionals, to investigate current perspectives on the status of hazard mitigation and industry professionals' beliefs of the best approaches to community disaster resilience.
Avon Protection has launched a new conformal military CBRN (chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear) filter that provides an accurate measure of usable life span with a unique end-of-service-life indicator. The MILCF50 filter claims a shelf life of up to 10 years, which far surpasses that of rival filters and promises considerable cost savings for the company's extensive global military and first responder customer base.
President Barack Obama has announced an executive order to facilitate broadband deployment on federal lands, buildings, and rights of way, federally assisted highways, and both tribal and individual Indian trust lands (tribal lands), particularly in underserved communities. Broadband access is essential to the nation's global competitiveness in the 21st century, driving job creation, promoting innovation, and expanding markets for American businesses.
The DC2E J is the newest addition to the line of Deployable Command and Control Equipment (DC2E) Display Systems. Whereas the Front/Rear DC2E displays are set up along the width of the shelter, the J Series Side Mounted Large Screen Display System is intended for the side walls of the shelter, and will add free space to the shelter's length, which will ultimately facilitate the movement of personnel and equipment throughout the shelter.
The American Red Cross has launched its official first aid app, putting free and simple lifesaving information directly into the hands of smartphone users. It gives instant access to information on how to handle the most common first aid situations, and includes both videos and interactive quizzes.
"With Cybersecurity Technologies Research Laboratory (CTRL), we can run experiments and talk more freely about a wide range of cyber research activities, and we can do so with a variety of U.S. and international collaborators but without some of the unrelated restrictions that are often associated with a national laboratory," said Jim Costa, senior manager of computational sciences and analysis at Sandia's California site.
Residents of Hagatna, Guam, now have the added strength of the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) Institute Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD) system behind their 911 call center, thanks to the recent implementation of the program by the Guam Fire Department. The program provides a systematic way to manage emergency medical service (EMS) resources in an organized and effective manner.
The official verdict of the 2012 NPR assessment of the nation's "Public Health and Medical Services" capabilities is encouraging: Headed in the right direction, numerous milestones already passed, and overall progress more than satisfactory. However, major concerns still exist in an era of reduced federal funding and additional cutbacks in the foreseeable future.
Thorough planning that takes into account all of the potential problems, pitfalls, and outright disasters that might be encountered is key to the success of any major special event. Here is a comprehensive list, compiled by a highly respected career professional, of the questions to ask, the intangibles to remember, and the essential resources required to ensure that nothing spoils the party.
A lot can be accomplished in 60 days with 2 million people. By emphasizing training, drills, and education, Safe America will be helping families and businesses be better equipped to handle the next major disaster.
The Customs and Border Protection (CBP) U.S. Border Patrol El Paso Sector, alongside local law enforcement agencies, including the El Paso Fire Department (EPFD), collaborated with the Government of Mexico (GoM) recently hosted a Border Safety Initiative (BSI) Campaign. The goal of this year's BSI campaign is to raise awareness in border communities of the dangers posed by the swift moving water canal systems, and the extremely dangerous desert terrains - with the hope of preserving human life.
Multiple U.S. agencies and international partners are engaged in efforts to assist Pakistan in countering improvised explosive devices (IEDs), but they face a variety of ongoing challenges. This report, issued by the Government Accountability Office (GAO): (1) describes the status of U.S. efforts to assist Pakistan in countering IEDs; and (2) reviews the States tracking of U.S.-assisted efforts in Pakistan to counter IEDs.
To expand its portfolio of high-performance protection materials, and to complement existing and new DuPont Kevlar® technologies, DuPont has signed an agreement to acquire the assets of BAE Systems' Tensylon High Performance Materials Inc., and has also purchased a minority share in Nanocomp Technologies Inc.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has announced the delivery of the first phase of Cargo Release, known as Simplified Entry, in the Automated Commercial Environment. Simplified Entry provides importers with the opportunity to file a streamlined set of data earlier in the filing process, thereby reducing the time needed for cargo to be released into the stream of commerce.
The Office of Inspector General (OIG) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has released this report, which shows the results from a recent study that was aimed at determining if VFC providers are meeting their vaccine management requirements, including the storing of vaccines at proper temperature ranges and handling expired vaccines in an appropriate manner.
"Today, we face an increasing demand for the best and brightest in the cybersecurity field across industry, academia, and government," said Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano. "DHS is committed to working with our partners at universities and throughout the private sector to develop the next generation of cyber professionals to protect against evolving cyber threats."
"The DHS 7000 is designed for situations where seconds could make a difference in keeping a person safe," said David Warnacut, Product Manager of the company's Compressed Air Breathing Equipment division. "This versatile system enables the wearer to quickly adapt to and overcome unknown hazards - whether chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear. For additional protection, we have removed several lights and alarms that could compromise the wearer's location."
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano has announced the release of the Department's Northern Border Strategy (NBS). The NBS is the first unified DHS strategy to guide the Department's policies and operations along the U.S.-Canada border - providing a framework for enhancing security and resiliency while expediting lawful travel and trade throughout the Northern border region.
During a medical emergency, navigating through large crowds requires more than just lights and sirens. By strategically placing resources, understanding the type of crowd, and preparing for all-hazards events, medical teams will be better equipped to rapidly respond as needs arise.
Whether deciding to close local schools or to change treatment and testing guidelines at a national level, public health decisions for influenza pandemics are dependent on laboratory results. By developing assays, holding training sessions, developing and utilizing laboratory capacity models, building intra-state communication systems, and introducing other initiatives, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) are helping to build and maintain a "warm base" for effective laboratory response.
In 2011, the City of Virginia Beach hosted a day of special ceremonies honoring members of a Navy SEAL Team who had been killed in action during a high-risk operation in Afghanistan. The short-notice decision to salute these fallen heroes was fraught with numerous potential difficulties - but the City, with the help of numerous other agencies, overcame the potential obstacles and set a new standard for special event planning.
FLIR Systems Inc. has announced that it has been awarded an indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract from the U.S. Army to support the MEDEVAC program. The contract, valued at $38 million, is for spare components for Star SAFIRE® II stabilized multi-sensor systems that are installed on the Army's fielded MEDEVAC Blackhawk helicopters.
This report focuses on first responder training for hazmat and CBRN (chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear) incidents. Even in an environment of limited funding, there are solutions that can be explored to coordinate response, train team members, and prepare emergency responders for the next hazmat or CBRN event.
"This short-term extension of the National Flood Insurance Program provides property owners, renters, and businesses critical time to renew, purchase, or modify insurance policies to protect themselves against the devastating effects of flooding," said Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Craig Fugate.
ESi® has announced that the company has been selected by the California Emergency Management Agency (Cal EMA) to replace the current Response Information Management System (RIMS) with a new WebEOC®-based system that will provide information and resource tracking, situation analysis, and real-time communication with the state's Operational Areas (OAs) and allied agencies during daily operations, emergency activations, and exercises.
The United States and Canada have announced that both governments agreed to the mutual recognition of, and cooperation on, air cargo security in both countries. Under the new mutual recognition initiative, cargo shipped on passenger aircraft will be screened at the point of origin and will not need to be rescreened at the border or prior to upload in the other country.
