"DeconGel (a CBI Polymers Inc. product) is a natural addition to the First Line Decon Family, having been proven highly effective during the ongoing nuclear clean-up at Fukushima," said First Line Technology Vice President Randy Sakowitz. "DeconGel adds to the continually expanding First Line Technology Decon Family by contributing yet another product that minimizes hazardous waste and reduces the personnel burden while decreasing the cost of safe, effective decontamination."
Before passenger aircraft were hijacked and used as weapons, and bombs were smuggled inside underwear and shoes, such attacks may not have seemed likely to occur. Similarly, the reproduction and dispersal of the "eradicated" smallpox virus may seem to be an extremely small risk, but early planning is required to cope with what is still a potentially viable threat.
The term "resilience" is often used but not always understood. By implementing the practices of business continuity, risk analysis and management, engineered systems, and supply chain management using whole of community efforts, the public and private sectors can find a common language and work toward achieving true resilience.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently announced the approval of Flucelvax, the first seasonal influenza vaccine licensed in the United States produced using cultured animal cells, instead of fertilized chicken eggs. Flucelvax is approved to prevent seasonal influenza in people ages 18 years and older.
"Success" in the interdiction and prevention modes of biodefense depends primarily on the assets and efforts of the intelligence and military communities, but in the response/recovery and deterrence modes rests largely in the domain of the emergency management community. Effective performance in all modes ultimately can lead not only to response and recovery but also to deterrence.
Hospitals and other medical facilities are rapidly evolving into a true national healthcare system that can more effectively meet the 21st-century threats posed by terrorist acts and infectious diseases. Fortunately, systems and technological capabilities needed to cope with such threats, particularly those involving infectious agents, is already available.
ASSA ABLOY's Aperio locks have been Genuine HID Technology-certified and now further extend the industry's broadest portfolio of end-user options for creating trusted, advanced, and dependable secure-identity solutions. Aperio lock technology provides organizations with an easy way to wirelessly link mechanical door locks to new or existing access control systems so that the doors can be opened by radio-frequency identification (RFID) cards rather than keys.
Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Office of Security Capabilities Assistant Administrator John Sanders, and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Acting Chief Privacy Officer Jonathan Cantor, testify on the use of Advanced Imaging Technology (AIT). The TSA screens approximately 1.8 million people who travel each day through 450 U.S. airports and is vigilant in ensuring the security of passengers who travel through the nation's vast transportation networks.
Battelle recently won a $6.2 million contract to build battery boxes at its advanced manufacturing facility for the Department of Defense. The MK2 Battery Box is used to power the Man Transportable Robotic System (MTRS) used by Explosives Ordnance Disposal technicians to carry out remote reconnaissance in missions involving Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and other unexploded ordnance.
U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has announced the selection of the first class of HHS External Innovation Fellows. The six External Fellows, selected from an applicant pool of more than 100 innovators, will spend the next 6 to 12 months working on projects focused on solving critical health care problems.
As the threat of a biological attack against the United States increases, the nation's public health sector faces many hurdles, including funding cuts and difficulties in integrating the plans and policies of various levels of government - and with the private sector. Since the 9/11 attacks, greater focus has been placed on both biodefense and biosurveillance, but much more is needed.
The National Homeland Security Consortium (NHSC) is calling on leaders at all levels of government and the private sector to come together to address the increasingly complex and interdependent issues facing the nation. In the 2012 white paper Protecting Americans in the 21st Century: Priorities for 2012 and Beyond the Consortium's endorsing members state that certain areas are not only of concern individually, but also that leaders must recognize and begin to understand the interactions and intersections of these threats and vulnerabilities.
During and after a known or suspected biological attack, most events initially play out in local hospitals where the first symptoms caused by a toxic agent are recognized. Raising awareness among medical staff and expanding current training programs will help healthcare providers respond to a possible biological event both more quickly and more effectively.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Defense U.S. Northern Command (NORTHCOM) are providing emergency response equipment to local fire departments in the Mexican border cities of Nogales, Sonora, and Agua Prieta, Sonora, to build additional capacity to respond to hazardous material incidents along the U.S./Mexican border.
Resilience is about mobilizing human potential, especially at the individual citizen and local government level. Through surveys and discussions, key professional decision makers from local, state, and federal governments, non-governmental organizations, and private-sector partners have provided both qualitative and quantitative feedback for building resilient regions. DomPrep has compiled that feedback into a report that lays out a tactical plan for sustaining a resilient nation.
By following the training and preparedness efforts practiced in Israel, the United States can move toward a cohesive national strategized approach to provide line officers the ability to look beyond the single incident before them. However, individual responders also must take the initiative needed to develop and advance their own capabilities and training in order to apply those skills in extreme situations.
The new HDT Climate-Xpress is a versatile environmental control unit (ECU) system that meets an abundance of heating and cooling requirements, from humanitarian missions, emergency first responders and mining shelter systems to mobile medical facilities and commercial applications.
At the direction of President Barack Obama, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) continues to lead the federal government's effort to provide assistance and support to states affected by Hurricane Sandy, ensuring the federal family and its public and private partners continue to provide all available resources to support state, local, and tribal communities in affected areas.
U.S. reliance on imported food increased from 2000 through 2011. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) - responsible for ensuring the safety of most imported foods - received new authority under the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). FSMA enhances FDA's oversight of food imports, including express authority to establish a system for accrediting third parties - including foreign governments and private auditing firms - to certify compliance with U.S. food safety requirements by foreign food facilities.
To help ensure that hospital staff and their families receive much needed medications during a biological incident, healthcare facilities in the Nation's Capital are coordinating with the D.C. Department of Health (DCDOH) to establish closed points of distribution. By doing so, staff responsibilities and capabilities can be optimized and lines for general public distribution can be reduced.
A "system" of any type consists of numerous vulnerable as well as valuable components, thus the entire system faces possible failure if a single component is removed or not working as it should. In the field of emergency medical services, all personnel must be fully prepared to prevent service lapses when a key component is removed.
Morganton-based Bridgeway Solutions partnered with Salamander Technologies, Midwest Card, North Carolina Emergency Management and numerous local emergency managers to provide tracking and credentialing support for the City of Charlotte during the Democratic National Convention (DNC).
"The market has had a crucial need for a lighter, more comfortable CBRN suit that the Phoenix provides, and we are delighted to launch this improved product to our customers. Worn as a standalone uniform, the Phoenix offers the right balance between comfort and protection," said Chris Jackson, General Manager, Remploy Frontline.
The purpose of this order is to maximize the federal government's ability to develop local partnerships in the United States to support homeland security priorities. The White House Homeland Security Partnership Council will foster local partnerships - between the federal government and the private sector, nongovernmental organizations, foundations, community-based organizations, and state, local, tribal, and territorial government and law enforcement - to address homeland security challenges.
This guidance, provided by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), includes recommendations for protecting personnel responding to a wide-area anthrax attack from developing anthrax as a result of exposure to aerosolized Bacillus anthracis (B. anthracis) spores and for minimizing the amount of exposure in the first week of a response. It is also intended to support ongoing planning and preparation efforts and to lay the basis for plans to protect all those who may respond.
FLIR Systems Inc. has announced that it has been awarded a contract, valued at up to $88.3 million, from the U.S. Army for the procurement of Domestic Response Capability (DRC) kits for use by National Guard WMD-CSTs (Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Teams). The DRC kit is an integrated suite of advanced sensors and support equipment designed for detecting and decontaminating chemical warfare agents and other emerging threats.
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service have announced that U.S. Global Entry members will be able to use Australia's automated border processing system, SmartGate, on a trial basis.
Morpho Detection Inc., the explosives and narcotics detection business of Morpho, the Safran group's security unit, has announced that it has received a five-year indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract from the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) for its medium-speed CTX 9800 DSi explosives detection system (EDS).
