First Responders
The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the Washington Redskins recently conducted a successful emergency response test at FedExField.
“Success on the football field requires not only having a solid game plan but practicing and... Read More »
SpectralMD, Inc. recently received a 2-year, $27.3 million contract from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office (DHHS) of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) to create a burn imaging device that is portable and quick.
“We want to give medical providers... Read More »
House and Senate lawmakers have approved a measure restoring grant funding for law enforcement support services, enabling the establishment of suicide-prevention programs and mental health services.
The Supporting and Treating Officers in Crisis Act was co-sponsored by Sen. Martha McSally... Read More »
The Supporting and Treating Officers in Crisis (STOIC) Act, which would improve mental health treatment and support for our nation’s law enforcement officers, now heads to the president’s desk for signature.
The bill highlights the need for suicide prevention. Law enforcement officers are... Read More »
Edwards Air Force Base personnel provided emergency crews to Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake near Ridgecrest, California, in the wake of a pair of high desert area earthquakes.
“Crews maintained their posture locally after the July 4th earthquake; responders went through the base looking... Read More »
U.S. Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) proposed legislation to give the District of Columbia home-rule authority over the D.C. National Guard.
This bill -- filed as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2020 -- would give the D.C. mayor the same authority that... Read More »
Following the release of a report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), Representatives Lee Zeldin (R-NY-1), Eliot Engel (D-NY-16), Peter King (R-NY-2), and Al Green (D-TX-09) recently urged the advancement of a bill that would preserve the T-Band spectrum for use by emergency... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published guidance for first responders and emergency managers on how to respond in the first minutes of a radiological dispersal device (RDD), or “dirty bomb.”
The guidance was developed by the DHS’s Science and Technology Directorate (S&T)... Read More »
Marine Corps personnel recently joined the Army and Navy in a joint training initiative designed to increase combat operational readiness in amphibious and prepositioning operations.
Marines with the 2nd Transportation Support Battalion, Combat Logistics Regiment 2, 2nd Marine Logistics... Read More »
Legislation introduced in the U.S. Senate Tuesday would amend the Federal Employee Compensation Act to make it easier for firefighters who were injured or became ill as a result of their service to be covered by federal workers’ compensation.
Currently, federal law does not recognize certain... Read More »
The program that reimburses state, counties and local jurisdictions for up to 50 percent of the cost of body armor vests purchased for law enforcement officers was included this week will get funded via a House appropriations bill.
The U.S. House approved the Bulletproof Vest Partnership program... Read More »
According to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), first responder communications are at serious risk with the pending, 2021 sale of the T-Band part of the radio spectrum.
In 11 large metropolitan areas, police, firefighters and other first responders rely heavily on that spectrum, and in... Read More »
California’s Camp Pendleton hosted the annual Wildland Fire School last week, during which firefighters safely cleared out overgrown grasslands using prescribed fire.
The technique eliminates fuels from training areas and prevents future large-scale wildland fires. It also allowed firefighters... Read More »
A resolution was passed in the U.S. Senate that will designate October 28, 2019, as "Honoring the Nation's First Responders Day."
An estimated 4.6 million career and volunteer firefighters, police, emergency medical technicians, and paramedic workers serve communities all across the nation,... Read More »
The capabilities of first responder network FirstNet were proven in a recent exercise in a remote part of Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, where the network was relied on for emergency communications during a search and rescue exercise.
FirstNet cooperated with the Virginia Communications Cache,... Read More »
The Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) has partnered with Azimuth1 to develop a navigation app called QuickRoute, specially designed for first responders.
The app warns users about hazards along the route and takes into account factors like traffic... Read More »
West Virginia’s Preston County will receive a new, purpose-built cell site as part of the state’s FirstNet network expansion, increasing first responders coverage, capacity, and capability.
FirstNet is the nationwide, wireless communications platform dedicated to America’s first responders... Read More »
A multi-state operational exercise on how to respond to a 7.7 magnitude earthquake near Memphis will feature the participation of federal, local and international authorities, including the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate (S&T).
The Federal Emergency Management... Read More »
A collaboration between the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T), TDA Research Inc and Avon Protection Systems has yielded a new filtration system for first responders.
The new system is lower maintenance and, according to its creators, able to reduce... Read More »
The U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee has advanced a legislative amendment prohibiting the Department of Defense from procuring firefighting foam containing per and polyfluoralkyl substances (PFAS).
The revision served as part of the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal... Read More »
The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) recently conducted a successful test of its Burn Saver technology.
“Burn Saver is a device S&T developed to give first responders an early warning when they are in a thermal environment that may cause... Read More »
Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin Co., recently conducted a test flight of its HH-60W Combat Rescue Helicopter in West Palm Beach, Fla.
The aircraft is based on the UH-60M Black Hawk and is customized for U.S. Air Force rescue missions. The U.S. Air Force plans to replace its HH-60G Pave Hawk... Read More »
Board members of America’s first responder network, FirstNet, recently toured the Georgia Cyber Center, learning more about evolving cyber threats and the technological investments and innovation being developed there.
Board Chair Edward Horowitz, fellow board member and retired Army Brigadier... Read More »
The Marine Corps plans to upgrade to a multichannel radio system that enables soldiers to monitor two radio networks simultaneously.
Replacing older systems makes the Marines compliant with a National Security Agency mandate requiring all radios not up to cryptographic modernization standards be... Read More »
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) personnel from across the nation gathered in Miami recently for the agency's 2019 Region IV All Hazards Preparedness workshop.
The two-day effort, which was slated ahead of this year’s hurricane season, involved dozens of law enforcement personnel, emergency... Read More »
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) recently instituted a Mission Critical Voice Test Equipment funding opportunity as a means of testing public safety devices.
The effort, which includes an amount of up to $12 million, was launched through the Public Safety Innovation... Read More »
More than 600,000 devices used by more than 7,250 public-safety agencies have connected to the FirstNet communications platform.
FirstNet is intended for public-safety agencies. In more than 600 markets, band 14 spectrum has been deployed, allowing agencies of all sizes in urban, rural and... Read More »
Sens. Cory Gardner (R-CO) and Patrick Leahy (D-VT) recently introduced a measure designed to reauthorize the Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Program permanently.
S. 1231 is a federal grant program that helps state and local law enforcement agencies purchase lifesaving bulletproof vests for... Read More »
Sens. Steve Daines (R-MT) and Jon Tester (D-MT) reintroduced last week a bill designed to ensure injured first responders do not have to pay taxes on injury-related compensation.
The Putting First Responders First Act would clarify the current tax code and stems from the circumstance of the... Read More »
Medical examiners used Rapid DNA technology to identify the 85 people killed in last year’s Camp Fire wildfire in Paradise, Calif.
The technology is funded in part by the Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate (S&T). It was developed to quickly analyze DNA to... Read More »
Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND) recently met with North Dakota National Guard and North Dakota State University (NDSU) Air Force and Army ROTC personnel to outline missions and benefits strengthening efforts.
Hoeven, a member of the Senate Defense Appropriations Committee, provided specifics on securing... Read More »
Los Angeles International Airport’s (LAX’s) 2019 Air Exercise (AirEx) attracted nearly 200 first responders, who participated in the simulation designed to test the airport's airfield accident readiness.
“The safety and security of our guests is paramount and this exercise allows... Read More »
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will award eight preparedness
grant programs totaling more than $1.7 billion in fiscal year 2019.
The grants will provide funding to states and local governments,
as well as transportation authorities, nonprofit organizations, and the private
sector,... Read More »
Sens. Richard Burr (R-NC) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) recently introduced a measure designed to enhance the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) to reflect the daily work of 9-1-1 dispatchers.
The Supporting Accurate Views of Emergency Services Act, also known as the 9-1-1 SAVES Act,... Read More »
The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) is joining Israeli Police in espousing the benefits of a new 3-D crime scene investigation tool.
Officials said 3D-Hawk can turn a crash or crime scene into an interactive 3D model within minutes, based... Read More »
