Monday, July 7, 2008
DHS Provides First Responders $34.6M in Equipment, Training
The Department of Homeland Security will award $34.6 million in equipment and training to first responders across the nation as a part of the FY 2006 Commercial Equipment Direct Assistance Program. DHS awarded more than 2,000 direct assistance grants to ensure that law enforcement and emergency responders receive specialized equipment and training to meet their homeland security mission. ...
DHS Tests First Responder Credential Capabilities
The Department of Homeland Security Office of National Capital Region Coordination and the Department of Defense Pentagon Force Protection Agency joined public and private sector participants last month in a demonstration to validate the functionality of the First Responder Authentication Credential. ...
Best Defense
By Rick Salyers & Troy Lutrick
Arizona’s Terrorism Liaison Officers program gives the fire service a proactive role...
FEMA Stresses Evacuation Routes in Floods
The Federal Emergency Management Agency is recommending that residents in flood-prone areas take appropriate measures, including developing personal evacuation routes and communication plans. ...
$1.7 Billion Available for Local Homeland Security Programs
The Department of Homeland Security has released FY 2007 grant guidance and application kits for five grant programs that will total roughly $1.7 billion in funding for state and local counterterrorism efforts. With this funding, the department will have invested nearly $20 billion in local planning, organization, equipment, training and exercises. ...
NOFD Planning Report Available
Following the devastating impact of Hurricane Katrina, the City of New Orleans Fire Department initiated a strategic planning process to recover and reconstitute fire and emergency services delivery to the city. A report detailing that planning process, which was accomplished with assistance from the U.S. Fire Administration and the International Association of Fire Chiefs, is now available...
Impetus for Change
By Azarang Mirkhah
According to the Department of Homeland Security, the Assistance to Firefighters Grants Program has provided $2.4 billion to fire departments and first...
Future Force
By Ken Burris
Creating a five-year strategic plan for a single fire and emergency services organization is difficult at best; forecasting the entire fire and emergency...
First Responders Need Special Gear for Special Tasks
Erin Lang, RAE Systems
First responders deal with an almost unimaginably wide range of hazardous environments, and radiation detection technologies have been developed to better...
Atomic Numbers
By Mark L. Maiello, Ph.D.
In an incident involving radioactive materials, both the public and emergency responders will need to be assessed for exposure. To understand the hazards...
NIMS Seeks Comment on Fire, Hazmat Credentials
FEMA’s National Incident Management System’s Integration Center has released initial minimum criteria for fire and hazmat personnel to be deployed using a national credentialing system....
DHS, Organizations Urge Preparedness
More than 1,150 national, regional, state and local organizations are taking part in National Preparedness Month, which began Sept. 1. This nationwide effort urges Americans to prepare for emergencies of all kinds in their homes, businesses, schools and communities. ...
America Still Burning
By Randy R. Bruegman
At the President's Conference on Fire Prevention in May 1947, Harry S. Truman wrote the serious losses in life and property resulting annually from fires...
Muscle Memory
By Janet Wilmoth
After 29 years and a broad range of experiences with the Chicago Fire Department, Chief Dennis Gault describes himself as sort of like MacGyver. He has...
Many Cities Lack Preparedness
The findings released July 27 of a survey conducted by the U.S. Conference of Mayors indicate that nearly half the 183 cities polled say they either have not created or have not recently updated city evacuation plans, almost three-quarters say they're not prepared to handle a flu pandemic, and 80% say they still don't have adequate emergency communication capabilities....
Hazmat Roundtable Issues Report
The IAFC and its Hazardous Materials Committee convened a roundtable with 40 of the nation's leading authorities on hazardous materials. The final report, which establishes the direction for action and discussion by the hazmat community, is now available. ...
Rebuilding Year
By Janet Wilmoth
After several months as the acting director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, in May R. David Paulison took the reins of the agency that was...
DHS Completes First TOPOFF 4 Exercise
The Department of Homeland Security announced completion of the TOPOFF 4 Command Post Exercise, a congressionally mandated counterterrorism exercise for top officials. The exercise, which took place from June 19–22, is a multifaceted effort to prevent and respond to a simulated terrorist attack using weapons of mass destruction...
Eyes & Ears
By Ernest Mitchell, Stephen Doherty & Bradley G. Hibbard
Because securing the nation begins at the local level, the fire service has the potential to take a more proactive role as “first preventers.”?...
Rush Hour
By Brandon R. Graham
High-impact, mass-casualty hazmat incidents on our highways can easily overextend even the most prepared fire department....
Paulison Confirmed as New FEMA Director
Chief R. David Paulison, acting director of FEMA since last September, has been confirmed as the head of the agency by the U.S. Senate....
DHS Issues NRP Changes
The Department of Homeland Security has issued a Notice of Change to the National Response Plan — the all-discipline, all-hazards plan that sets out the structure for the coordination of federal support to state and local incident managers in the event of domestic incidents....
FEMA Braces for Hurricane Season
To be better prepared for this year's hurricane season, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has created a live video network to assist officials with site assessment when disasters occur....
FEMA Not a First Responder, Says Paulison
With the latest predictions indicating another active hurricane season in 2006, the Federal Emergency Management Agency is preparing with what it describes as “a renewed sense of commitment, improvement and urgency."...
FCC to Form Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau
The Federal Communications Commission has announced plans to establish a new Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau....
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