The Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) has received a one-year $1 million award from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to develop the final component of an integrated monitoring system designed to reduce firefighter deaths and injuries by precisely locating and tracking them, in three dimensions, inside buildings.
Rapiscan Systems' President Ajay Mehra said that "We are pleased NATO [the North Atlantic Treaty Organization] has chosen Rapiscan to meet its requirements for reliable and comprehensive threat detection. This award demonstrates our ability to provide end-to-end layered security screening solutions that address a wide range of threats in the most demanding environments."
Dr. David Blumenthal, the Department of Health & Human Services' (HHS) National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (IT), has announced plans to make available $80 million in grants to help develop and strengthen the nation's health information technology workforce. The grants being made available include $70 million for community college training programs and $10 million to develop educational materials to support such programs.
The NVFC (National Volunteer Fire Council) has available an online AFG (Assistance to Firefighters Grant) & SAFER (Staffing for Adequate Fire & Emergency Response) Grant Narrative Resource Center to help volunteer fire departments write successful narratives as part of the grant-application process.
The purpose of the program is to provide emergency-response agencies with evidence that the communications equipment they are purchasing meets P25 standards for performance, conformance, and interoperability - and also offers demonstrated evidence of a product's compliance with specific requirements.
Four "Influenza Roundtable" videos were filmed, featuring Dr. Joe Bresee, chief of the Epidemiology & Prevention Branch in CDC's (Centers for Disease Control & Prevention) Influenza Division. These videos provide easy-to-understand answers for the public as well as important public-health recommendations and the "action steps" needed to protect their own health and the health of their families.
The Madison County Health Department in Indiana has reconfigured two DRASH Shelters for use as part of a drive-thru H1N1 vaccination clinic. Once there, patients drive through three separate stations to complete the paperwork needed and receive their vaccinations.
The E2M is a transportable, compact, and rugged GC/MS (Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry) system designed to provide fast, reliable on-site identification and quantification of organic substances in soil, air, and water - and from surfaces. It can be mounted on vehicles and operated while a vehicle is underway.
The Long Term Disaster Recovery Working Group - co-chaired by Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano and Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Shaun Donovan - is a high-level strategic initiative that will recommend future improvements and help inform and develop a National Disaster Recovery Framework to provide the operational guidance needed for recovery organizations.
