The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Center for Domestic Preparedness (CDP) posted four new coronavirus (COVID-19) training videos. The first video provides an overview of COVID-19, to include information about its symptoms, diagnosis, treatment and prevention. The second video includes information about about barrier precautions and controls for the virus. The third provides information about the movement and transport of suspected and confirmed COVID-19 patients. The final video is about treating patients in non-healthcare settings. All four COVID-19 training videos are available on YouTube.
The Team Awareness Kit (TAK) is a digital tool that greatly enhances coordination and collaboration among response teams. This innovative solution enables tactical data to be generated, visualized, and securely shared. The tool facilitates daily operations for public safety organizations and allows different organizations that do not regularly communicate to seamlessly come together and maintain shared tactical awareness during a disaster or special event.
Testing is critical to slow the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) and mitigate its threat to public health. Under President Trump’s Guidelines for Opening America Up Again, states should meet at least five metrics before proceeding to a phased reopening. The Administration’s Opening Up America Again Testing Overview and Testing Blueprint are designed to facilitate state development and implementation of the robust testing plans and rapid response programs described in the guidelines.
This operational toolkit has been developed to help business owners who are considering reopening or expanding their operations to determine their establishments’ risk of transmission of COVID-19 and how to reduce it. The Operational Toolkit consists of 3 parts: an instruction manual; a business risk worksheet; and an assessment calculator.
A multi-institutional team of researchers led by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) scientist Francesco Fornasiero has developed a smart, breathable fabric designed to protect the wearer against biological and chemical warfare agents. Material of this type could be used in clinical and medical settings as well.
Sheldon Greenberg, Johns Hopkins School of Education professor and a former patrol officer for the Howard County Police Department, has developed COVID-19 guidelines for police patrol officers, security officers, and campus police. These guidelines include personal protection measures; incorporating information about COVID-19 contacts in incident reports; preparing patrol vehicles with protection and sanitation equipment; developing quarantine protocols; and considerations when protecting medical facilities and hospitals.
FLIR Systems Inc. announced it has won an additional $20.6 million contract from the U.S. Army to deliver its FLIR Black Hornet® 3 Personal Reconnaissance Systems (PRS). The advanced nano-unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) will support platoon- and small unit-level surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities as part of the Army’s Soldier Borne Sensor program.
Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories have identified a straightforward change to the formula for radiation-detecting plastic. The change prevents “fogging,” which reduces the lifetime of the plastics used to detect nuclear material transiting through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s radiation detectors.
The Open Science Grid is a network of organizations that provides computing services for science research. The Department of Energy’s Fermilab partnered with the Open Science Grid to be part of a larger COVID-19 High Performance Computing Consortium. This consortium is designed to provide access to the world’s most powerful high-performance computing resources in support of COVID-19 research.
A new X-ray detector prototype is on the brink of revolutionizing medical imaging with dramatic reduction in radiation exposure and the associated health risks. The detector also boosts resolution in security scanners and research applications, thanks to a collaboration between Los Alamos National Laboratory and Argonne National Laboratory researchers.
