Disaster Preparedness | Emergency Response

Featured Videos

GSN 2012 Award Winners/Finalists/Sponsors: Dubhe Beinhorn, VP Public Sector, AtHoc, Inc

Dubhe Beinhorn describes AtHoc, Inc, winner of GSN’s 2012 award for “Best Mass Notification Solutions,” as a company that operates in one sector only: critical communications for crisis management....

GSN 2012 Award Winners/Finalists/Sponsors: Covia Labs, David Kahn, CEO

Covia Labs received the award for “Best Interoperable First Responder Communications” in the 2012 Awards Program for its “Alert & Respond” software platform and application that provides voice/...

GSN 2012 Award Winners/Finalists/Sponsors: Drew Morin, Chief Technology Officer, TeleCommunication Systems

TeleCommunication Systems (TCS), which entered its “Commercial Mobile Alerts System” in the 2012 Awards Program, was named a Finalist in the “Best Mass Notification Systems” category. Drew Morin, who...

GSN 2012 Award Winners/Finalists/Sponsors; Jim Montagnino, CEO/President, NC4

El Segundo, CA based NC4 specializes in situational awareness, emergency response and event planning, according to Jim Montagnino. Its crime fighting solution “Situational Awareness for Enforcement’s...

IACP Conference, 2012: Stephen Meer, Founder and Chief Technical Officer of Intrado, Inc,

Stephen Meer, one of the founders of Intrado, Inc of Denver, Colorado, indicates that his company provides services and products to the 9-1-1 infrastructure, which he says is a very complicated...

IACP Conference 2012: Mike Bostic, Director of Customer Advocacy, Security and Transportation Service, Raytheon

Mike Bostic of Raytheon points out that he spent 34 years as an Assistant Chief in the LAPD, where he worked about a third of that time in technology and communications. And one thing he...

IACP Conference 2012: Kevin P. Madden, Solutions Architect for Public Safety, Cisco Sytems

Kevin Madden discusses the nation’s first demonstrated multi-vendor interoperable Public Safety Long Term Evolution (LTE) network, which was deployed by a consortium of companies including Cisco and...

IACP Conference 2012: Dave Snyder, Spillman Technologies, Inc.

ASIS 2012: Paul Christin, Homeland Security Industy Manager, ESRI

ESRI is the innovator of GIS, or Geographic Information Systems, which Paul Christin describes as a way of managing information and understanding it geographically, or plotting information,...

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)

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...

News

Missile defense systems ready for deployment to protect U.S. bases

Mon, 2013-04-08 09:37 AM

THAAD system

U.S. military personnel preparing for the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Air Defense (THAAD) system on the Pacific island of Guam are ready for the mission of possibly shooting down North...

FEMA chooses The Meridian Institute to continue developing ‘Campus Resilience Tool’

Fri, 2013-04-05 04:00 PM

FEMA is preparing to award a sole source contract for $1.5 million to The Meridian Institute, of Dillon, CO, to continue work it has already begun to foster the agency’s “Whole Community” philosophy...

HSI opens two new offices in critical areas of Africa

Fri, 2013-04-05 08:39 AM

HSI photo of
African office

Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Office of International Affairs (OIA) expanded its footprint Africa by opening offices in Nairobi, Kenya and Dakar, Senegal. OIA, said ICE on April 2, now has...

Sandia developing quick detector for botulinum, ricin, other bio threats

Fri, 2013-04-05 07:39 AM

Sandia's SpinDx

Sandia National Laboratories researchers are developing a medical instrument that will be able to quickly detect a number of biological threat agents, including anthrax, ricin, botulinum, shiga and...

2013 Little League World Series will rely on Amika Mobile and CDYNE for emergency communications

Thu, 2013-04-04 12:01 PM

Little League stadium
in Williamsport, PA

Amika Mobile’s Amika Mobility Server (AMS) platform providing critical and emergency situational awareness, communications and control, which is now integrated with CDYNE’s voice callout service,...

New bird flu cases rise in China

Thu, 2013-04-04 08:17 AM

Southern Jiangsu
Province

Although the number of cases of a new type of bird flu is rising in China, the World Health Organization said there is currently no reason to put travel and entry restrictions in place.

DARPA tags $50 million to increase understanding of brain function

Wed, 2013-04-03 09:13 AM

Defense researchers will use $50 million under a new White House initiative to better understand the human brain, mapping the organ’s capabilities and understanding its functions.

DHS tallies up ammo purchases for Sen. Coburn

Wed, 2013-04-03 08:10 AM

DHS detailed its massive ammunition acquisitions over the last three years to one of the key lawmakers on the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs on April 1.

Border Patrol stops risky human smuggling attempts in California and Texas

Tue, 2013-04-02 09:01 AM

Within a few days in late March, Border Patrol agents working in Texas and California stopped two separate but potentially perilous attempts to smuggle people into the U.S. inside a locked railroad...

Health officials watching new bird flu infections in China

Mon, 2013-04-01 02:24 PM

Shanghai

The World Health Organization (WHO) is watching developing cases of a lesser-known bird flu infection in China, as that country’s health inspectors investigate three recent cases -- two...

Markey again presses nuclear ‘emergency pill’ effort

Mon, 2013-04-01 09:02 AM

A Massachusetts congressman is pressing for full enforcement of a law requiring the federal government to have adequate supplies of radiation “emergency pills” on hand for civilians living near...

Relief funds for Sandy-stricken transit systems will lose more than half a billion dollars to sequestration

Fri, 2013-03-29 11:37 AM

Hurricane Sandy
crippled NJ Transit

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announced on March 29 the allocation of $2 billion to transit systems in New York and New Jersey that were devastated by...

Company News

FBI appoints terror investigation veteran to weapons of mass destruction directorate

The FBI appointed one of the men who marshaled the agency’s on-scene investigation in the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 attack on the Pentagon as assistant director of the Weapons of Mass Destruction Directorate.

FBI director Robert Mueller appointed John Perren as assistant director of the directorate on May 11.

General Dynamics moves to acquire IPWireless

General Dynamics entered into a definitive agreement on May 8 to acquire IPW Holdings, Inc., the parent company of 3G and 4G LTE wireless broadband equipment and solutions provider IPWireless, Inc.

The value of the cash transaction wasn’t disclosed. IPWireless provides services to first responder and military customers.

RELM wireless teams with ARINC on Lancaster County Emergency Radio System

RELM Wireless Corp. has teamed with ARINC Incorporated as a supplier of P25 digital two-way radio equipment for deployment on a planned new emergency radio system in Lancaster County, PA.

After a competitive bidding process, ARINC was recently selected to enter contract negotiations to provide the system, said the company on May 2.

General Dynamics awarded $176 million USCG contract to support Rescue 21

General Dynamics C4 Systems has been awarded a contract by the U.S. Coast Guard to provide ongoing sustainment services for the national Rescue 21 search and rescue system.

General Dynamics, the prime contractor for the system's design, development and deployment, said it will continue to provide field service personnel, technical support and maintenance of the system.

TriTech Software Systems joins iCERT

Public safety software solutions provider TriTech Software Systems a leading public safety software solutions company, has joined the Industry Council for Emergency Response Technologies (iCERT) as a board level, executive committee member company.

Year-long project shows mobile DTV EAS viable

The results of a year-long Mobile Emergency Alert System (M-EAS) broadcast pilot project clearly show broadcasters across the country will soon be able to capitalize on the powerful combination of mobile DTV and rich media emergency alerts, said a group of equipment vendors and broadcasters involved in the effort.

Honeywell debuts compact, multi-wear wireless panic pendant

Honeywell has released its new 5802WXT Wireless Panic Pendants. The sleek, stylish compact devices are 25 percent smaller than previous Honeywell models and can be worn as a pendant, on a wristband, as a belt clip or on a keychain.

With the press of a button, end-users can summon police, fire or medical response personnel to the premises in the event of an emergency. An LED flashes when transmission is successfully sent, ensuring the user that the device is operating.

Tsunami? There’s an app for that

Residents along the Pacific Northwest coast of the U.S. can now get an a better idea of where a tsunami could hit using their smart phones via a new suite of online portal and apps from a regional affiliate of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

NOAA’s Pacific Northwest Tsunami Evacuation Zones online portal and free apps provide an at-a-glance view of tsunami hazard zones along the coasts of Oregon and Washington.

Commentary and Opinions

Disaster Preparedness 2011: Telework plans are crucial for preparedness

The Telework Enhancement Act of 2010 created a lot of buzz around the word “telework.” President Obama signed this Act into law in December 2010.

According to an Office of Personnel Management (OPM) memorandum, the Act provides a framework for agencies to better leverage technology and to maximize the use of flexible work arrangements, which will aid in recruiting new federal workers, retain valuable talent and allow the government to maintain productivity in various situations.

Disaster Preparedness 2011: Preparing for natural and industrial disasters and enemy attacks in the 21st century

The subject of disaster management and emergency preparedness has fundamentally evolved over the last 10 years.

Disaster Preparedness 2011: Technology in place and ready when it matters most

Although historians may characterize 2011 differently than I do, I believe that many in the government and public safety arena likely will remember this as the “Year of the Natural Disaster.” From the unparalleled Japanese tsunami to wildfires and tornadoes that literally destroyed entire communities and droughts that plagued many parts of the United States, we have come face-to-face with natural disasters of epic proportions.

Disaster Preparedness 2011: The “layered” cake -- Preparing for port and cargo disasters

Port security seems to be the forgotten child when it comes to preparing for disasters, at least in the public eye. Potential threats to aviation and mass transit generate many more conversations, and for good reason, but the risks posed to ports, primarily from cargo, cannot be ignored.

A cargo container looks innocuous, just a square, metal box loaded with goods…right? This impression could not be further from the truth.

Disaster Preparedness 2011: Smart phones enhanced with nanotube hazmat detectors bring a new dimension to preparedness

What if your cell phone could detect toxic airborne substances like carbon monoxide, chlorine or even chemical warfare agents?

The public would have a new level of personal protection against a range of fairly common airborne chemical-based toxins, as well as against terrorist attacks involving WMDs. And when sensor data is harnessed in an environmental sensing network for first responders and other organizations, it will be the dawn of a new era for disaster preparedness.

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Recent Disaster Preparedness Videos

IACP Conference, 2012: Stephen Meer, Founder and Chief Technical Officer of Intrado, Inc,

Stephen Meer, one of the founders of Intrado, Inc of Denver, Colorado, indicates that his company provides services and products to the 9-1-1 infrastructure, which he says is a very complicated ecosystem with lots of different constituent groups. The 9-1-1 infrastructure is like an iceberg, he says, with a little piece that delivers services to the public that is above the water line, and a massive infrastructure under the water line that supports it in operating seamlessly, continuously, dealing with all the regulations and issues in the world of public safety communications.

IACP Conference 2012: Mike Bostic, Director of Customer Advocacy, Security and Transportation Service, Raytheon

Mike Bostic of Raytheon points out that he spent 34 years as an Assistant Chief in the LAPD, where he worked about a third of that time in technology and communications. And one thing he learned from his LAPD experience is that everything the military needs, so does public safety. But Raytheon is in the business of solving operational problems rather than selling boxes and devices, he says, and as a systems integrator the company sells solutions to specific sets of problems.

IACP Conference 2012: Kevin P. Madden, Solutions Architect for Public Safety, Cisco Sytems

IACP Conference 2012: Dave Snyder, Spillman Technologies, Inc.

Spillman Technologies is a vendor of public safety software used by law enforcement, fire and emergency management agencies, according to Dave Snyder. The company provides an integrated solution and specializes in multi-jurisdictional assignments involving agencies that want to collaborate with other agencies with information systems in large geographic areas. Snyder points out that the company has been in business for almost 30 years and has an extraordinary degree of stability, and its customers can count on major upgrades each year at no cost.

ASIS 2012: Paul Christin, Homeland Security Industy Manager, ESRI

ESRI is the innovator of GIS, or Geographic Information Systems, which Paul Christin describes as a way of managing information and understanding it geographically, or plotting information, visualizing the data, and analyzing the dots to make sense out of the data. The company sells to 40 verticals, one of which is homeland security. Christin describes how GIS technology is used for planning major events, such as political conventions or the recent NATO conference in Chicago.

Upcoming Events

Event Details	Dates of Event
Critical Security Controls International Summit 2013	Apr 26 - May 2
Secure India @Bangalore 2013	Apr 29 - May 4
Cloud Security Alliance CCSK Certification Training	May 6 - 7
SANS Security West 2013	May 9 - 19
SANS Brisbane 2013	May 13 - 18
GovSec Conference & Expo	May 14 - 15
CPM East Conference & Expo	May 14 - 15
TREXPO - The Law Enforcement Expo	May 14 - 15
SANS Austin 2013	May 19 - 24
DoD VA Healthcare Training Forum	May 20 - 23
ISSA-LA Fifth Annual Information Security Summit	May 21 - 21
Southwest Microwave Seminar	May 21 - 21
Southwest Microwave Seminar	May 21 - 21
Southwest Microwave Perimeter Defense Seminar	May 21 - 21
Southwest Microwave Seminar	May 22 - 22
Transport and Logistics of Hazardous Material	May 27 - 28
Southwest Microwave Seminar	May 28 - 28
Border Management Southwest Summit	May 29 - 31
Cyber Security Conference & Expo	May 30 - 30
Mobile Device Security Summit 2013	May 30 - Jun 6
Security Analytics Summit 2013	May 30 - Jun 6
Cyber Security Conference & Expo	May 30 - 30
Southwest Microwave Seminar	May 30 - 30
SANS Malaysia @ MCMC 2013	Jun 3 - 8
2013 SIA Government Summit	Jun 4 - 5
Southwest Microwave Seminar	Jun 4 - 4
NCT: CBRNe Israel, 4 - 6 June 2013, Tel Aviv	Jun 4 - 6
SEL Modern Solutions Power Systems Conference	Jun 5 - 7
Mission Command	Jun 10 - 12
Cyber Securty Brainstorm	Jun 11 - 11
EDGE Summit 2013	Jun 11 - 11
IPv6 Summit 2013	Jun 14 - 16
SANSFIRE 2013	Jun 15 - 22
Oak Ridge National Laboratory's 2nd Biosurveillance Symposium	Jun 17
Biodetection Technologies 2013	Jun 18 - 19
Southwest Microwave Seminar	Jun 18 - 18

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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...

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