New study carried out by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) focuses on: (1) how the November 2011 memorandum on management of the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS) program was developed and major challenges were identified; (2) the actions being taken in response to the challenges identified; and (3) the extent to which the solutions proposed by the Infrastructure Compliance Security Division (ISCD) require collaboration with the National Protection and Programs Directorate (NPPD) and/or Office of Infrastructure Protection (IP).
A new report by former Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge and former Assistant Secretary for Homeland Security Robert B. Stephan sees the United States as too dependent on foreign suppliers in times of crisis. The report also focuses on the growing frequency of major catastrophic events, man-made and natural, as well as such new threats as cyber attacks.
The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Liability Guide presents the benefits of risk management for CERT programs, including building confidence and a positive public image for the program, reducing the cost of insurance and avoiding other costs, helping to preserve a local program's investment in its members, and increasing overall participation in CERT.
The Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) U.S. Fire Administration (USFA), supported by the DHS Office of Health Affairs (OHA) and the National Emergency Medical Services Management Association (NEMSMA), announce the release of this new guide for Emergency Medical Services (EMS) providers. This guide provides important information on preparing for events that can impact EMS preparedness and response in local departments.
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.
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.
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.
The 2012-2016 Border Patrol Strategic Plan marks an important point in the growth and development of the U.S. Border Patrol. The principal theme of this plan is to use Information, Integration and Rapid Response to meet all threats - building upon an approach that puts the Border Patrol's greatest capabilities in place to combat the greatest risks.
This guide, developed jointly by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Public Safety Canada (PS), fulfills one of the first commitments under the U.S.-Canada Beyond the Border Action Plan - a shared approach to security in which both countries are working together to address threats within, at, and away from U.S. borders, while expediting lawful trade and travel.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has published a new report on the "Water Security Initiative: Commissioning Security Systems for Drinking Water Utilities." This short report discusses the commissioning of security systems and provides a step-wise commissioning process and the forms required for use by drinking water utilities. The "Commissioning" report focuses on the testing of both new and upgraded systems to verify that their operations and performance meet contract document requirements.
