The renewal of the official partnership reaffirms the relationship between Mission Room Ltd. and VSTEP to provide delivery, maintenance, and support of their 360° RescueSim Mission Rooms to Fire & Rescue Services and Customers within the United Kingdom. RescueSim is a new generation of virtual training tools for emergency responders and Fire and Rescue Services.
The federal government shutdown caused major disruptions throughout the nation. Federal employees are now back at work, but employees of U.S. public health laboratories still risk losing much more than their paychecks. Congressional budget conflicts and further public health funding reductions are likely in the near future, and those cuts may not be worth the adverse consequences that follow.
The University of Central Florida is offering a graduate certificate in Emergency Management and Homeland Security which provides an interdisciplinary graduate education for people engaged in or seeking professional careers in emergency management and homeland security with a focus on managing security threats or crises, natural or man-made threats, disasters, or emergencies through the coordination of public, private, and nonprofit sectors.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has announced a cooperative pilot project with National Public Radio's (NPR's) technology research and development group, NPR Labs, to demonstrate the delivery of the first-ever, real-time emergency alert messages to people who are deaf or hard-of-hearing in five Gulf states.
"AMAG customers now have the option to integrate their Symmetry Security Management System with Identity One's state-of-the-art BioManager biometric middleware, providing another option for their biometrics needs," said AMAG Technology, Symmetry Extended Business Solution, Program Manager, Shae Taylor.
Public health is a concern for all citizens, but the preparedness efforts for public health emergencies provide information primarily to that sector. Members of the private sector and/or other "non-public health organizations" should take the additional steps needed to help ensure that continuity of operations plans are in place before a major health emergency develops.
During a bioterrorism event, the need to help 50,000 people seeking lifesaving medications can seem impossible for an already overwhelmed public healthcare facility. One solution for alleviating the congestion is to distribute medical countermeasures through other venues - for example, colleges and universities, businesses, and various private sector agencies and organizations.
Deadly incidents such as the Boston Marathon bombings have raised many concerns among special event planners, emergency managers, and first responders. When an incident occurs at the site of a planned event, which usually has many moving parts, the challenges can become overwhelming. This report goes beyond special event planning to address the unfortunate times when the orderly sequence planned simply "goes wrong."
Mutualink Inc. has announced the commercial availability of five new products that significantly expand on its multimedia communications. These resource-sharing capabilities place the power of Mutualink's interoperable collaboration suite where the users are: in the office, on the road, and in the field.
Walden's online Master of Science in Emergency Management program helps prepare students with the advanced skills they will need to lead emergency response efforts, improve public policy, and protect communities from both natural and human-caused disasters.
VIEVU, the industry leader in body-worn video (BWV), has announced its partnership with Motorola Solutions, enabling Motorola to add a small form-factor, highly secure BWV solution camera to their existing security product line. The advancement of video technology offers new tools to law enforcement that benefit both the agencies and the communities they serve.
Penn State World Campus online is offering a class on the politics of terrorism. This course is an analysis of: (a) political terrorism as a violent alternative for peaceful change; and (b) traditional warfare in the nuclear age.
Resilience for those with functional needs requires two things: (a) that these citizens personally understand what to expect during an emergency response; and (b) that emergency responders understand the physical and psychological impact not only on those with long-time functional needs but also on those suffering from what are described as "newly acquired" disabilities.
During emergencies, every minute within the "golden hour" is of lifesaving importance. One county fire department in Maryland has developed and implemented a new protocol that shaves valuable time off the dispatching process. Getting medical units en route in less time ensures fast delivery of medical care to those who need it most.
Penn State World Campus's 33-credit online Master of Professional Studies in Homeland Security degree program shapes leaders capable of preventing and responding to both manmade and natural disasters.
The American Technologies Network (ATN) Corporation has developed the latest advancement in thermal imaging technology: the ATN TICO-series of thermal clip-ons. The TICO-Series mounts in front of a day-time scope and improves thermal vision operations both day and night.
Georgetown University is offering a new program, Executive Master of Professional Studies in Emergency and Disaster Management, in which students will gain the strategic and critical thinking skills needed to be leaders in the rapidly evolving emergency management profession.
Polaris Wireless has announced that it partnered during a recent concert with the Mountain View, California, Police Department (MVPD) to pilot the company's Altus blue force tracking application, which is designed to augment police safety measures. During the pilot deployment, some officers were equipped with department-provided mobile phones, which were monitored using Polaris Wireless Altus from a command post set up in the event grounds.
Purdue University researchers are working to develop portable detectors as well as larger systems to scan for explosives. Some technologies will analyze the spectrum of light shining through vaporized samples; others will analyze solid residues.
Most disaster responses necessarily include a public health component. Emergency managers must always be aware of that fact when dealing with emerging threats and their possible consequences. By incorporating a public health response into emergency management planning, the nation will be much better prepared for the next pandemic or biological attack.
The huge workload that public health agencies manage on a "typical" day can push resources to the limit. However, when a pandemic or other public health emergency arises and health professionals are unable - or simply refuse - to respond, the responsibilities of the professionals who do respond become that much more demanding and more difficult to sustain.
The National Tactical Officers Association (NTOA) is calling for basic Tactical Emergency Medical Support (TEMS) training for all police officers in light of recent incidents of mass violence. TEMS is not intended to be a replacement for EMS services; it is, rather, an operational medical element that complements these resources in order to promote the success and safety of the law enforcement mission.
Selectively stocked with essential medical supplies, and designed for use in a variety of real-life scenarios, Chinook personal aid kits (PAKs) are created by the same professionals who design medical kits for the military, fire departments, law enforcement, search and rescue teams, and remote expedition groups.
The recently released memorandum outlines an information-sharing agreement between the Security Industry Association (SIA) and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science & Technology Directorate, and seeks to help both parties "benefit from cost savings, technology awareness, and enhanced relationships."
Morphix Technologies has announced a new solution for the detection of homemade explosive materials through use of the TraceX Explosives Kit. The affordable new and easy-to-use product aids in detecting major explosive material threats and their precursors in a single test without exposing the user or kit to contamination and/or dangerous chemicals.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has launched a major initiative to improve how basic science advances and discoveries are translated into commercially viable products that improve patient care and advance public health.
As the nation's circumstances change, unexpected events unfold, and funding shifts, the priorities of the U.S. healthcare system must change with them. The location and timing of the bomb attacks at the Boston Marathon this year helped reduce the number of lives lost, but that incident still raised new concerns about healthcare preparedness efforts and funding priorities.
Automatic external defibrillators (AEDs) are available in many modern venues, but are still underutilized. By building awareness and training for AED use as well as understanding the plans and procedures in place for managing such emergencies, school staff can increase the survival rates of young athletes who suffer from cardiac arrest.
When laboratories detect dangerous infections, it is crucial that accurate information reaches health departments quickly and in a format that allows them to recognize disease outbreaks. Fortunately, according to new data recently released, the efforts by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are helping to speed this process and ensure that the best and most complete information about disease cases reported is paying off.
