The Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) is awarding nine contracts for the advanced research and development of more effective tests and devices to determine the level of radiation a person has absorbed after a nuclear or radiological incident.
The QRAE is a 4-gas confined space gas detector that can be deployed with one to four plug-in "smart" sensors for combustible gases (LEL), oxygen (O2), hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and carbon monoxide (CO). The instrument can run up to 20 hours on a rechargeable Lithium-Ion battery and is housed in a rugged, water- and dust-resistant case.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano highlighted the Department's 2009 accomplishments in an address to employees - emphasizing the major steps the Department has taken this year to enhance America's capabilities.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm announced a first-of-its-kind federal-state cybersecurity partnership-deploying the federally-developed cybersecurity technology EINSTEIN 1 to Michigan's cyber networks.
As the first wave of H1N1 flu recedes across the United States, hospital emergency-preparedness managers are reviewing their lessons learned in preparation for what many believe will be an even greater assault on their hospitals. Providence Health Systems deployed its GateKeeper alternative-care facilities just outside the hospital's emergency department (ED) to protect the hospital and staff from exposure while still providing appropriate care to the community.
"These transit grants play a major role in our efforts to work with our state, local, tribal, territorial, and private-sector partners to build a national culture of readiness and resilience," said Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano. "This year's guidance focuses on maximizing efficiency and value while prioritizing risk in awarding grants to strengthen our nation's transportation security."
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will host a "Know What to Do about the Flu" webcast on Wednesday, December 16, 2009. The webcast will feature the U.S. Surgeon General, experts from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention and the American Medical Association.
Authorities set up two 442-square-foot Deployable Rapid Assembly Shelter (DRASH) TMSS (Trailer Mounted Support System) Medium soft-walled shelter systems as a medical clinic. Doctors & nurses used the facility, which was equipped with power and air conditioning, to treat people for heat stroke, dehydration, cuts, and sprains, and to administer hundreds of vaccinations.
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Craig Fugate addressed presidents, provosts, chancellors, and deans from a number of Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCUs) from across the country. The meeting was designed to provide the schools participating with an introduction to emergency management, a basic overview of EMI's (Emergency Management Institutes) higher education programs & an opportunity to hear from leading professionals in the field of emergency management.
