First Responders
Senate bill introduced to legally shield disaster relief medical volunteers
A group of United States senators last week reintroduced an effort to update the Volunteer Protection Act of 1997 and extend legal protections for medical volunteers working in federally-recognized disaster relief efforts. Authored by U.S. Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and... Read More »
HHS tabs Emory University for disaster healthcare demonstration
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) officials said the agency has selected Emory University to lead the latest Regional Disaster Health Response System site. HHS noted Emory University is the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response's (ASPR) fourth site selected to... Read More »
Northam announces infrastructure upgrades to support nitrile glove project
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam announced Tuesday that his state’s pledge to invest $8.5 million in infrastructure upgrades to Progress Park was a catalyst for a manufacturing venture to commit to building an operating center in the area. The joint venture would build a manufacturing operation in... Read More »
DHS addresses law enforcement best practices
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials said the agency has formed the Law Enforcement Coordination Council (LECC) to assess varied law enforcement matters -- including its law enforcement policies and training. “Law enforcement is a noble profession," DHS Secretary Alejandro N.... Read More »
Sen. Peters convenes natural disaster emergency management hearing
U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI), chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, convened a hearing Wednesday to examine the country’s preparedness to deal with worsening natural disasters like floods, severe storms and wildfires. Witnesses, and committee members discussed... Read More »
NDAA to include 9-1-1 dispatcher reclassification
Legislation reclassifying 9-1-1 dispatchers from Office and Administrative Support to Protective Service Occupations was approved last week by the U.S. House of Representatives as an amendment in the Fiscal Year 2022 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), according to lawmakers. U.S. Reps.... Read More »
DOJ awards nearly $187M for community safety
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Friday that its Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), part of the department’s Office of Justice Programs (OJP), had awarded nearly $187 million to support public safety and community justice activities. The Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance... Read More »
U.S. Sens. Feinstein, Padilla push for $7.7 billion in wildfire recovery funds
U.S. Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Alex Padilla (D-CA) urged Senate leadership to include a minimum of $7.7 billion and targeted tax relief in the disaster supplemental funding package requested by the State of California to respond and recover from the 2021 wildfire season. “California is... Read More »
DHS S&T soliciting JamX 22 exercise participation
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) officials said the agency is seeking participants for the 2022 First Responder Electronic Jamming Exercise (JamX 22). There has been a Request for Information (RFI) issued for the endeavor at White Sands Missile... Read More »
Funds target World Trade Center health program for first responders
U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) is touting the inclusion of $2.86 billion for the 9/11 World Trade Center (WTC) Health Program in the Build Back Better Act. Officials said the funds would be included in the Energy and Commerce Committee’s portion of the measure, which is slated to be... Read More »
Davis, LaHood announce 183d wing base project as part of National Defense Authorization Act
U.S. Reps. Rodney Davis (R-IL) and Darin LaHood (R-IL) announced Friday that their request for a Illinois National Guard project will be included in the FY 2022 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The NDAA passed out of the House Armed Services Committee with a bipartisan 57-2 vote, and... Read More »
House Armed Services Committee advances bill to give D.C. mayor control over D.C. National Guard
In a national first, the House Armed Services Committee voted last week in favor of a bill that would grant the mayor of the District of Columbia authority over the D.C. National Guard, adding that provision to the 2022 National Defense Authorization Act. Since its inception, the D.C. National... Read More »
California roundtable addresses federal wildfire assistance efforts
Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA) recently hosted local leaders in Santa Rosa, Calif., during a roundtable discussion regarding wildfire prevention, response and recovery efforts. The discussion and listening session stemmed from the White House's approval of Calif. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s request for a... Read More »
Air Force selects Cyber Warfare Wing site
Air Force officials said the military branch has selected Ohio’s Mansfield-Lahm Air National Guard Base as the preferred venue for a new Cyber Warfare Wing mission. Officials said the transformation would support Air Combat Command’s future requirements -- resulting in operational mission... Read More »
DHS exploring crowd count, analysis technology
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) officials said the agency is exploring the use of technology to aid with crowd count and analysis. Officials cited the potential to prevent delayed, inadequate, or misplaced responses to crowds in detailing a request... Read More »
FirstNet board approves authority’s operations, investment budget
The governing body of FirstNet Authority, the only nationwide, high-speed broadband communications entity dedicated to and purpose-built for first responders, has approved the platform's Fiscal Year 2022 budget. The First Responder Network Authority Board passed a $253 million budget focusing on... Read More »
Secretaries, Haaland, Vilsack announce new pay initiative for wildland firefighters
U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Deb Haaland and U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced Tuesday that they would be implementing President Joe Biden’s pay increases for federal wildland firefighters. The announcement ensures that the approximately 3,500... Read More »
DHS awards more than $980K to North Carolina firm developing digital paging system
Device Solutions, Inc., based in Hillsborough, N.C., has been awarded $981,657.52 via the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program for digital paging development. The scope of work calls for Device Solutions to provide a standards-based, public... Read More »
FirstNet touts Rhode Island first responder equipment
First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) officials recently joined AT&T personnel in unveiling tools designed to aid Rhode Island first responders. AT&T has delivered a pair of Compact Rapid Deployables (CRDs) to the Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency (RIEMA) - adding the state is the... Read More »
Bipartisan senators call for federal strategy to address jet fuel shortages and wildfires
In a letter to federal officials, eight senators from the Western United States called for coordination and development of a strategy to counter jet fuel shortages, which they fear could exacerbate the dangers of wildfire season through grounded aircraft. “As you are well aware, the 2020... Read More »
Textron Systems unveils all-electric firefighting robot
Howe & Howe Inc., a subsidiary of Textron Systems Corporation, recently unveiled the Thermite EV2, an all-electric firefighting robot, as well as a new handheld controller. “It’s important that we give our first responders the best we have to offer so that they can complete their missions... Read More »
Senate advances legislation protecting firefighters, first responders from PFAS chemicals
Bipartisan legislation aimed at protecting firefighters, first responders, and communities from exposure advanced the Senate Thursday. The Protecting Firefighters from Adverse Substances (PFAS) Act, co-sponsored by U.S. Sen. Susan Collins (R- Maine), co-chair of the Congressional Fire Services... Read More »
Bill seeks to protect law enforcement, first responders from lethal substances
U.S. Reps. Dave Joyce (R-OH) and David Trone (D-MD) recently introduced a bill that seeks to protect law enforcement personnel and other first responders from lethal substances such as fentanyl. The Protecting First Responders from Secondary Exposure Act would improve state and local government... Read More »
DHS S&T collaborates with Beacon NGO to broaden reach of incident command system
A new, joint effort between the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS’s) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) and the nonprofit Beacon NGO will seek to build upon S&T’s Next-Generation Incident Command System (NICS) and pitch it to a larger emergency response community. To achieve... Read More »
NENA unveils new NG9-1-1 standard
The National Emergency Number Association (NENA) announced this week the organization's approval of a new version of its Next Generation 9-1-1 standard. The action would aid the process of accelerating the transition to faster emergency response, detailing NG9-1-1 infrastructure updates that... Read More »
DHS awards nearly $1M for Texas-based small business efforts to secure emergency multimedia content
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) this week awarded $997,526 to SecureLogix, a San Antonio, Texas-based small business, for Next Generation 9-1-1 technology meant to help secure data during emergencies. Data, in this case, refers to text, images, video, and traditional voice calls... Read More »
NIST awards nearly $3M to commercialize public safety communications system
On Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) awarded $2.99 million in grant funding for new interoperable public safety communication systems. Initially funded by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology... Read More »
FirstNet expands public safety access to more than 100 portable cell sites
The FirstNet network expanded the number of unthrottled, deployable network assets for fire, EMS, law enforcement, and other public safety personnel to more than 100 land-based and airborne portable cell sites as of last week. “When disaster strikes, FirstNet is there to support first... Read More »
Legislation seeks to bolster nation’s wildfire policy
Three legislators recently introduced legislation designed to enhance national wildfire policy by establishing a commission of federal and non-federal stakeholders addressing prevention and mitigation. U.S. Sens. Mitt Romney (R-UT) and Mark Kelly (D-AZ) joined Rep. John Curtis (R-UT) in... Read More »
Bill targets law enforcement cybercrime prevention
U.S. Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and Thom Tillis (R-NC) recently reintroduced a measure designed to provide law enforcement with resources to enhance cybercrime combating initiatives. The International Cybercrime Prevention Act would update... Read More »
FEMA, FCC plan nationwide Emergency Alert Test for Aug. 11
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), in coordination with the Federal Communications Commission, will conduct a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) and Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) at 2:20 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 11. The WEA portion of the test will be sent only... Read More »
DHS offers funding for research, development of first responder technology
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) announced this week that funding opportunities are available for research and development into 10 new first responder technology areas. To that end, the agency is seeking documents from industry, academia,... Read More »
DHS S&T Evaluates Wildfire Sensors with California Emergency Responders
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) announced Thursday that it had successfully tested early wildfire detection technology prototypes this week in California. Conducted during a controlled, prescribed burn at the Dye Creek Preserve near Red... Read More »
Reps. Pascrell, Fitzpatrick, Bost introduce fire station construction legislation
On Monday, U.S. Reps. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), and Michael Bost (R-IL), co-chairs of the Congressional Fire Services Caucus, introduced legislation that would help fire departments build and upgrade their facilities. The Fire Station Construction Grants Act would... Read More »