Disaster Preparedness | Emergency Response

Featured Videos

GSN Awards Dinner Winners and Sponsors: Tony Wilder, Incident Commander, Southern Agency Type 1 Red Team

The Bastrop County, TX Unified Command was named Winner of GSN’s 2011 Award for “Most Notable Emergency Response – Federal, State or Local.”. Trophies were awarded to the Incident Commanders of...

GSN 2011 Awards Dinner Winners and Sponsors: Elizabeth Cavasso, Type 1 Planning Section Chief, US Forest Service, National Incident Management Organization (NIMO)

GSN 2011 Awards Dinner Winners and Sponsors: Mike Fisher, Emergency Management Coordinator, Bastrop County, TX

GSN 2011 Awards Dinner Winners and Sponsors: Dan Kleinman, Incident Commander, National Incident Management Organization (NIMO)

News

DHS looking for vendors to perform ‘remote sensing’ airborne photography

Wed, 2012-02-08 02:31 PM

DHS is planning to spend up to $50 million to hire as many as four contractors to provide “aerial remote sensing” services, that will include taking photos from airborne sensors of homeland security...

Genetic research on European E. coli outbreak provides unique insight

Wed, 2012-02-08 08:23 AM

Escherichia coli

A study of the outbreak of E. coli that killed 50 people in Germany last summer and sickened thousands has yielded some clues about the emergence and spread of infectious diseases.

Study says nuclear plant designs need stepped-up attention to security

Wed, 2012-02-08 08:01 AM

While protections for nuclear plants from possible terror attacks have improved dramatically since 9/11, a report by a group of nuclear scientists said there is plenty of room for more enhancement in...

Resilience codes and plans for buildings need more input, reports say

Tue, 2012-02-07 08:27 AM

Even though the survivability of buildings in disasters and terror incidents has improved dramatically since 9/11, more needs to be done, said reports by groups hoping to establish worldwide...

FEMA awards ambulance support contract worth nearly half a billion dollars

Fri, 2012-02-03 10:22 AM

Ambulance
team with AMR

FEMA has awarded a follow-on contract that could be worth almost half a billion dollars to American Medical Response Ambulance Service, Inc. (AMR) to provide ground and air ambulances, medical...

TSA expects heaviest Super Bowl traveler volume on Feb. 6

Fri, 2012-02-03 08:55 AM

Indianapolis International

The Transportation Security Administration is set to deal with tens of thousands more passengers travelling through Indianapolis International Airport before and after Super Bowl XLVI with additional...

DHS and ICE busy before Super Bowl securing stadium and IP rights

Fri, 2012-02-03 08:15 AM

Napolitano at Super Bowl XLVI

As their boss touted this year’s Super Bowl as one of the most secure in history, U.S. customs agents were busy extending protections beyond the physical venue and into intellectual property on the...

Energy Department and NRC release new seismic study for nuclear plants in eastern U.S.

Wed, 2012-02-01 08:57 AM

North Anna nuclear power station

The agencies in charge of regulating the safety of nuclear power plants in the U.S. released a new study of seismic activity in the eastern and central U.S. aimed at updating a 20-year-old seismic...

Creation of next-gen public safety comms net should be managed by non-profit, says study

Wed, 2012-02-01 07:36 AM

The next generation public safety communications network should be managed by a non-governmental, non-profit organization that could impartially reconcile the myriad standards and procedures...

USDA scientists find more effective commercial vaccine against leptospirosis

Tue, 2012-01-31 07:45 AM

Agricultural scientists have found a more effective vaccine for a disease that can jump from cattle to humans. Researchers at the U.S. Department of Agriculture said the new vaccine is more effective...

Los Angeles implements NOAA tsunami and storm preparedness programs

Mon, 2012-01-30 07:15 AM

The City of Los Angeles has become the largest U.S. city to meet the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s tsunami readiness standards. NOAA said on Jan. 27 that the city is "Stormready"...

La Nina could precede global flu pandemics, study says

Thu, 2012-01-19 07:31 AM

Global influenza pandemics that have killed millions could be preceded by the “La Nina” Pacific Ocean cooling phenomenon, by altering the migrations of birds that carry the bug, said a Columbia and...

Company News

Physical Optics gets HECAD emergency responder contract from HSARPA

Homeland security systems integrator Physical Optics Corp. received a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) award for Phase II of the Helmet Embedded Conformal Augmented Display (HECAD) system.

In collaboration with the Homeland Security Advanced Research Projects Agency (HSARPA), said the company, the HECAD Phase II award will provide two-year funding for continued work on an embedded "heads-up" display to increase personal situation awareness for emergency responder, said the company.

LRAD debuts its new LRAD 2000X acoustic hailing system

LRAD Corp. has announced that its new LRAD 2000X acoustic hailing system broadcasts highly intelligible voice communication that can be clearly heard and understood over five miles away.

ADMS-Airbase disaster response training unveiled by ETC Simulation

Environmental Tectonics Corp.’s simulation division recently unveiled ADMS -- Airbase, the newest product in the ADMS suite of simulation training systems, which was developed to specifically address the unique challenges of military-aided emergency and disaster response professionals.

Honeywell’s Notifier debuts demo site for its emergency communications systems

NOTIFIER by Honeywell announced on Dec. 5 the launch of a micro-site to educate users on effective deployments of integrated fire alarm and emergency communications systems through virtual demonstrations of emergency scenarios.

DeTect debuts its HARRIER Visual Warning System (VWS) to safeguard windfarms

In response to the dark skies initiative and wind industry demand, DeTect has developed its HARRIER VWS.

The system provides continuous 360-degree surveillance of the airspace around a windfarm from the ground level to above aircraft flight altitudes, automatically activating obstruction lighting when aircraft are detected at a defined outer perimeter.

RAM Mounts and GammaTech offer mountings for in-vehicle Durabook computers

RAM Mounts and GammaTech Computer Corp. announced on Oct. 18 that they have teamed up to provide vehicle mounts to securely hold a variety of Durabook units in patrol cars and other police vehicles.

RAM’s Tough-Tray universal laptop tray perfectly adapts to GammaTech Durabook’s rugged convertible U12C models, rugged S15C and D14RM, and fully rugged convertible R13S.

Gamewell-FCI expands its emergency communications offerings

Gamewell-FCI by Honeywell has expanded its fire alarm and emergency communications (aka mass notification) systems offerings through the integration of audible and visual notification devices and IP network command software from Alertus Technologies.

More than 26,000 new citizen registrations for Nixle alerts in times of crisis

Nixle, LLC, a free provider of informational communication services between government agencies and the communities they serve, received 26,000 new citizen subscribers during two recent natural disasters -- Hurricane Irene and the massive Texas wildfires, Nixle said in a Sept. 15 news release.

In areas affected by these catastrophes, agencies using the Nixle high-performance notification system were able to provide their citizens with real-time warnings, information, and evacuation details.

Commentary and Opinions

Disaster Preparedness 2011: Ensuring Cloud service continuity during disasters

It’s a distressing feeling when you’re in the middle of an unfolding disaster, and suddenly it hits you -- your plans and resources are being overwhelmed by the event. At this point or soon thereafter, you’ll likely ask yourself a series of questions: How and when will we re-establish services for customers and employees? What will this disaster cost us in terms of revenue, reputation and recovery expenses? How can we avoid being in this position again?

Disaster Preparedness 2011: New wind-damage-resistant windows

The word tornado came from the Spanish word "tronada" which means a thunderstorm. Also known as a twister, a tornado is a violent spiral-shaped storm with a rapidly rotating column of air rising upward, forming a vortex. The vortex has relatively low pressure at the center and is shaped like a funnel.

Virginia Tech shooting shows campus security has come a long way

When reports emerged from Blacksburg, VA, last Thursday afternoon that a shooter had descended upon Virginia Tech’s campus, confirmation that a campus police officer had been killed and headlines of a possible second victim overwhelmed news channels, Websites and every social media outlet.

Throughout the day, there was a jarring litany of that old cliché by anyone that remembers the unspeakable tragedies of April 2007, which claimed 33 lives on Virginia Tech’s campus:

History really does repeat itself.

Disaster Preparedness 2011: Using wirelessly connected monitoring equipment to protect HazMat teams

From the time it capsized at a refinery dock in Texas City, the listing barge -- loaded with 235,000 gallons of sulfuric acid -- began seeping its toxic, corrosive load into the 30-foot-deep waterway.

The water mixing with sulfuric acid inside the hull had begun to corrode the steel. This process reduced the barge’s structural integrity and created reactions inside the sealed compartment that generated a cloud of highly-flammable, highly-pressurized hydrogen gas -- just one spark away from a calamitous blast.

It was time for new plan.

Disaster Preparedness 2011: Risk, resilience and effective disaster recovery planning

Most people who are involved in emergency management are aware of the four primary phases of emergency management: prevention/mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery.

Recovery includes short-term measures taken to restore essential functions and systems, as well as longer-term activities intended to facilitate a return to pre-emergency conditions, or ideally to improve conditions through mitigation measures. I will focus on early recovery; the short-term phase.

Essential Guides

Technology Sectors

Market Sectors

Recent Disaster Preparedness Videos

GSN 2011 Awards Dinner Winners and Sponsors Interviews: Bill Eckerd, Director of Sales for Strategic Account Group, Verint Video Solutions

Verint Video Solutions was a 2011 Winner of “Best Intelligent Video Surveillance Solution” for its Nextiva Physical Security Information Management System (PSIM). According to Bill Eckerd, the PSIM technology allows users to integrate subsystems with a four-phase incident management system which includes personnel training plus planning, monitoring and debriefing. Major markets include state and local government, petro chemicals, critical infrastructure protection and airports.

GSN Awards Dinner 2011 - Winners and Sponsors Interviews: Howard Ryan, Founder, CEO Total Alert Systems

According to Howard Ryan, Total Alert Systems is a one-stop shopping mass notification portal used by government agencies, DOD, industrial and health care users. It is capable of sending alerts to cell phones, giant voice, billboards, text messaging and handheld radios. The company is a successor to Desktop Alert, which was a Finalist and Winner in previous GSN Award programs. Despite Desktop Alert’s success in signing up the U.S. Army and Air Force, he felt the name was too limiting and he created Total Alert to incorporate new products.

GSN 2011 Awards Winners and Sponsor Interview: Travis Scott, VP of Agency Relations, Nixle, Inc

Rapidly growing Nixle, which has signed up 4500-plus municipal, county, state and federal agencies in all 50 states – mainly law enforcement and public safety agencies -- and developed an opt-in membership of more than 700,000 local residents, received its Winner’s Trophy in the “Best Mass Notification System” category of GSN’s 2011 Awards Program. According to Travis Scott, Nixle does not require additional personnel at the agency level, because it is a one-way communications service.

GSN 2011 Award Winners and Sponsor Interviews: James Norton, Director of Homeland Security and Federal Strategy, General Dynamics C4

James Norton, who served as a DHS official before joining GSN Awards Sponsor General Dynamics C4, describes the 8-year collaboration that took place between GDC4 and DHS in developing GDC4’s Rescue 21 program, which now includes over 200 integrated fixed towers and covers over 35,000 miles of U.S. Coastline. The Rescue 21 program, operated by the U.S. Coast Guard, is an upgrade of the Coast Guard’s legacy analog system. It has been singularly successful in providing rapid assistance to distressed mariners anywhere off the U.S. coastline.

GSN 2011 Award Winners and Sponsor Interviews: Ann Pickren, VP Solutions, MIR3,Inc

Ann Pickren discusses MIR3’s Mass Notification System that was awarded a Winner’s Trophy in GSN’s 2011 Homeland Security Awards Program. She explains that the company is focused totally on its robust mass notification platform which can reach people no matter what device they are using or where they are located. MIR3 focuses heavily on federal, state and local government agencies, counting NASA, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Air Force and Army among its clients.

Upcoming Events

Event Details	Dates of Event
SANS Phoenix 2012	Feb 13 - 18
Gov TechTalks Lunch & Learn Session 7: Application Security	Feb 15 - 15
SANS Secure India 2012	Feb 20 - 25
The Airport Law Enforcement Symposium Feb 23-24, 2012	Feb 23 - 24
Learn How to Simplify Data Management and Reduce Storage Costs - with Steak & Eggs	Feb 23 - 23
Physical Security: Introductory Applications and Technology	Feb 27 - Mar 1
Conducting Corporate Investigations	Feb 27 - 28
ISC CHINA 2012 (International Security Conference & Exposition CHINA)	Feb 27 - 29
RSA Conference 2012	Feb 27 - Mar 2
SAP Public Sector Partner Exchange	Feb 28 - 28
SANS Secure Singapore 2012	Mar 5 - 17
SANS Germany 2012	Mar 5 - 10
Homeland Security Finance Forum 2012	Mar 6 - 6
Basic Hands-On CAMEO Training	Mar 12 - 14
ASIS Assets Protection Course: Principles of Security (APC I)	Mar 12 - 15
SANS Mobile Device Security Summit 2012	Mar 12 - 15
Aviation Week's Innovation Challenge Showcase	Mar 13 - 14
Symantec Government Technology Summit	Mar 20 - 20
STI at SANS 2012	Mar 23 - 30
SANS 2012	Mar 23 - 30
The 9th Two Day Conference On Indian Medical Devices & Plastics Disposables Industry 2012	Mar 23 - 24
SANS Northern Virginia 2012	Apr 15 - 20
Active Shooter	Apr 18 - 19
SANS AppSec 2012	Apr 24 - May 2
SANS Cyber Guardian 2012	Apr 30 - May 7
Telework Exchange Spring 2012 Town Hall Meeting	May 2 - 2
5th Sample Prep - Sample Preparation for Virus, Toxin, & Pathogen Detection & Identification	May 3 - 4
SANS Security West 2012	May 10 - 18
SANS Toronto 2012	May 14 - 19
Counter Terror Expo US	May 16 - 17
CEIC 2012 (Computer and Enterprise Investigations Conference)	May 21 - 24
SANS Rocky Mountain 2012	Jun 4 - 9
Data Center Brainstorm 2012	Jun 19 - 19
SANS Forensics and Incident Response Summit 2012	Jun 21 - 27
Vanguard Security & Compliance 2012	Jun 25 - 28
SANS Canberra 2012	Jul 2 - 10

New Products

IDenta says explosives ID kits identify underwear bomber’s PETN

Add Jerusalem-based Identa Corp. to the handful of companies that issued statements in the wake of the failed...

Introducing the ‘In Case of Emergency’ iPhone app

Legalzoom.com, an online legal service, and Donate Life America (DLA), a non-profit organization, have created and are offering ICE App, intended to help users input the compreh...

MetaCarta releases version 4.5 of geographic search software

Cambridge, MA-based MetaCarta, Inc., a provider of geographic search solutions, has announced the launch...

Magnasphere rolls out high-security sensor

Waukesha, WI-based Magnasphere reports that its new high-security sensor, HSS, has completed its UL inspections and is r...

ICx introduces ClearPoint bottled liquid screener

Arlington, VA-based ICx T...

More New Products