Earthquakes, hurricanes & other recent emergencies underscore the need to empower the public with practical information on preparing to communicate before, during, and after a disaster strikes. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) have released new tips for consumers aimed at preparing them for major disasters when communications networks are more likely to be compromised or damaged.
Cassidian Communications has announced that it will showcase - at the Innovation Fair being held by EADS North America on September 28-29, 2011 - a ground-breaking interactive demonstration of next-generation (NG) 9-1-1 solutions, including CAD and Mapping, the digital trunked P25 Land Mobile Radio (LMR) solution, and emergency notifications for public safety.
Smiths Detection has launched a new wireless communication system to improve both situational awareness and early-warning response to chemical attacks or threats detected by its suite of chemical sensors. Sensa-LINX easily integrates into Smiths Detection's chemical warfare agent & toxic industrial chemical sensors used in military and emergency response applications.
The advanced development of a novel next-generation anthrax vaccine and a new type of anthrax antitoxin have received significant support through new contracts funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA). The vaccine being developed under this contract could be administered as a spray in the nostrils, and administered by non-medical personnel, making administration easier and potentially increasing the number of people who could be vaccinated against this potentially fatal infection.
FLIR Systems has been awarded the Force Protection Omnibus contract through the U.S. Army Product Manager, Force Protection Systems (PM-FPS). This five-year, indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract has a maximum award value of $997 million. Under the contract, FLIR will provide best-in-class integrated systems, associated services, and other products to support both inside-the-wire and outside-the-wire integrated base defense operations.
President Obama's proposal to fund the development and initial deployment of a public safety nationwide wireless broadband network would lead to the creation of an estimated 100,000 new jobs, according to a recently released report by the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) International.
"When faced with an incident involving hazardous materials or dangerous goods, emergency responders need access to reliable information and assistance immediately," said Randy Speight, managing director of CHEMTREC. "Every day of the year for the past 40 years, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, CHEMTREC has been providing immediate assistance to emergency responders to ensure they can properly address any hazardous situation that they are facing."
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has just announced the development of a streamlined, integrated approach to effectively and rapidly respond to human and animal foodborne illness outbreaks: the FDA Coordinated Outbreak Response and Evaluation (CORE) Network. The CORE Network is basically a multi-disciplinary team created specifically to work full-time on outbreak prevention and response.
ESi and the Vox Generation Group have announced the launch of the first new software product of their joint venture company, Boards Talk LLC. Boards Talk powered by WebEOC® introduces a direct "voice-to-machine" interface between the award-winning Interactive Voice Response (IVR) technology of VoxGen and WebEOC® Professional from ESi, the most widely used crisis information management software in the world.
After the training for hospital decontamination or hospital evacuation is over, it is sometimes difficult to determine the next steps to maintain the level of preparedness needed. That is why DQE has developed the What's Next Sustainment Program as a way to support emergency preparedness coordinators and their staff throughout the year.
