Emergency Preparedness
Preventing a catastrophe generally includes careful emergency preparedness, business continuity planning, data recovery and disaster recovery, often with the use of GPS, Wi-Fi and other communications technologies that offer alert systems, backup solutions and interoperability.
Who will process terrorism insurance claims?
March 5th, 2008
The Department of the Treasury is thinking about the unthinkable.
To prepare itself for another terrorist attack, Treasury is seeking a capable small business that can develop and operate the management system that would process claims from insurance companies for the federal government’s share of compensation under the Terrorism Risk Insurance Program (TRIP) if another terrorism event occurs.
National Academy might "second-guess" the DNDO
February 26th, 2008
In accordance with instructions in the FY2008 omnibus appropriations bill, DHS is ready to hire the National Academy of Sciences to assist the department’s Domestic Nuclear Detection Office (DNDO) in reviewing the use of Advanced Spectroscopic Portals at U.S. ports, the Nevada Test Site and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.
Atlanta prepares security for ASIS conference
February 25th, 2008
When members of the American Society for Industrial Security, popularly known as ASIS International, gather in Atlanta for the organization’s annual conference, September 15-18, they will enjoy first-hand two of the nation’s most spectacular examples of coordinated homeland security in practice.
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Simulated chemical releases planned for New England
February 15th, 2008
FEMA and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are planning to run several exercises in New England during the next 18 months that would simulate medium-sized accidents at chemical plants involving the release of toxic chemicals.
Their own words...
January 30th, 2008
NRC seeks new rules for shipping radioactive materials
January 7th, 2008
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is at the beginning of a lengthy bureaucratic process to revise its regulations regarding the transportation of radioactive materials, and that’s got me thinking.
As the NRC solicits written comments from "stakeholders," and hosts a series of public meetings around the country, I wonder just how open its officials will be to the input they receive.
A bit of background might be helpful. Shortly after 9/11, the NRC and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) began thinking in new ways about the transportation of radioactive materials used for medical or industrial applications. As part of this process, the NRC reviewed the chemical, physical, and radiological characteristics of each radioactive material for its attractiveness to a terrorist, according to an NRC notice in the Federal Register on January 4.
The IAEA studied all radioactive materials and published a study, Code of Conduct on the Safety and Security of Radioactive Sources, which identified 16 specific radioactive materials that might pose a threat and threshold quantities of those materials which could make them useful to terrorists.
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Their own words...
January 4th, 2008
The real-world impact of the new chemical security regs
November 26th, 2007
After all the politicians have finished speaking about the urgent need for greater security at chemical plants. And after all the interest groups have finished their lobbying efforts. And after the legislation has been written, marked up, passed by Congress and signed by the President. And after the implementing regulations have been issued and then revised by the Department of Homeland Security.
