The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is seeking feedback on the draft document Planning Considerations: Evacuation and Shelter-in-Place. Feedback and recommendations received help ensure the final version of the guide is an effective resource for emergency managers across the nation. This National Engagement Period will conclude at 5 p.m. EDT on 31 August 2018.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Vision for Healthcare Preparedness is a multi-part series that describes Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response’s (ASPR) four pillars to achieving national health security: providing strong leadership, building a Regional Disaster Health Response System, sustaining public health security capabilities, and advancing an innovative medical countermeasures enterprise. This post focuses on sustaining public health security capabilities.
Robocup is a conference that showcases different families of robots with applications for home, industry, and public safety. Robots in the public safety category are judged according to standards developed by the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology. As a result, various law enforcement agencies are given unprecedented capabilities to help them in their missions.
Researchers from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Geological Survey, and their partners have completed the first high-resolution, comprehensive mapping of one of the fastest moving underwater tectonic faults in the world, located in southeastern Alaska. This information will help communities in coastal Alaska and Canada better understand and prepare for the risks from earthquakes and tsunamis that can occur when faults suddenly move.
In an emergency, communication is critical to response efforts. For this reason, former public safety officials and first responders on the AT&T/FirstNet team, in collaboration with Sonim, are creating Emergency Drop Kits. These portable kits will envelop first responders in a 300-foot “connected bubble,” letting them maintain constant communication to better coordinate their responses.
The Pipeline Emergency Response Training Online Portal assists first responders to learn the techniques and skills to address a hazardous liquid or natural gas pipeline incident. This online training is provided free-of-charge to all first responders.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) hosted the first-of-its-kind National Cybersecurity Summit in New York City, bringing together industry partners and top federal officials with the goal of laying out a vision for a collective defense strategy to protect the nation’s critical infrastructure. Secretary Nielsen announced the creation of the National Risk Management Center, which will coordinate national efforts to protect the nation’s critical infrastructure.
The public can now access information about active wildfires across the country using smartphones. The newly designed GeoMAC, a near real-time web mapping service hosted by the U.S. Geological Survey, is now available through any web browser compatible with mobile devices.
FLIR Systems Inc. announced it has received a delivery order for FLIR IBAC™ 2 biological agent detector systems to support the United States Forces Korea. The FLIR IBAC 2 is a real-time air monitor that alarms in less than 60 seconds when an airborne biothreat, such as spore, viral, cellular, and protein toxins, are present, then collects, preserves, and transmits data to command and control centers.
To ensure bomb technicians employ cutting-edge technology as they address evolving threats, the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate created the Response and Defeat Operations Support (REDOPS) program. REDOPS connects the 466 bomb squads of varying sizes and budgets across the country with the tools and information they need to perform their duties better, faster, and more safely.
