First Responders
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 »
A Mississippi-based ambulance company is espousing the benefits of partnering with the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) to enhance communication and coverage.
AAA Ambulance Service in Hattiesburg, Miss., subscribed to FirstNet to aid in connecting its 24-hour emergency and... Read More »
Marine Corps Logistics Base personnel in Barstow, Calif., recently conducted a training exercise designed to enhance both man-made and natural emergency preparedness.
The Exercise Haber Rail effort involved a simulated rail tanker car carrying thousands of cubic feet of chlorine gas... Read More »
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) personnel at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) recently led other agencies in conducting an active shooter drill at the airport's Terminal 4.
The CBP's Office of Field Operations at LAX joined forces with other federal and local law enforcement... Read More »
Oshkosh Defense recently unveiled its L-ATV Ambulance at the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) Global Force Symposium in Huntsville, Ala.
The ambulance enables Army medics and Marine corpsmen to keep up with the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) while also offering protection for... Read More »
A bill recently
introduced in the U.S. House would provide blood testing for military
firefighters who were potentially exposed on the job to toxic chemicals.
The Protecting
Military Firefighters from PFAS Act would test for per- and polyfluoroalkyl
(PFAS) substances during annual physicals... Read More »
The County of Los Angeles Fire Department was recently commended for its use of three Sikorsky Firehawk helicopters to combat last November’s devastating Woolsey Fire.
Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company, recognized the department, which operates eight multi-mission helicopters, including... Read More »
The First
Responder Network Authority (FirstNet Authority) and University of Mississippi
Medical Center (UMMC) signed a memorandum this week to collaborate on emergency
medical care and response as well as mobile broadband for rural first
responders.
“Emergencies can
happen anywhere at any... Read More »
The Marine Corps Systems Command (MCSC) will have another tool at its disposal allowing the Marine Air-Ground Task Force to identify enemy activity.
The effort employs a vehicle-borne device enabling Marines to discern what happens inside the electromagnetic spectrum, connecting several... Read More »
Lockheed Martin has developed a new system to connect remote
regions in the event of an emergency.
The company’s LTE-over-Satellite system is designed to
provide connectivity to remote regions, including areas without cellphone
coverage, boats on the water, or during natural disasters like... Read More »
Reps. Norma J. Torres (D-CA) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) recently introduced a bill reclassifying 9-1-1 dispatchers in the Office of Management and Budget Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) catalog to ensure classification standards place public safety first.
The 911 Supporting... Read More »
The Department of
Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory
(JPL) are researching Internet of Things (IoT) as it relates to emergency
communications for first responders.
S&T is
testing a multicomponent communications system... Read More »
Several federal government agencies, including the
Department of Homeland Security, introduced a program this week called the
Opioid Detection Challenge, a $1.55 million competition to develop opioid
detection technologies.
The Opioid Detection Challenge calls upon innovators
to submit plans... Read More »
The Department of
Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) has extended the
deadline for submitting first-responder technologies for assessment in the Next
Generation First Responder – Birmingham Shaken Fury Operational Experimentation
(OpEx).
The original
deadline was... Read More »
A vaccine contract potentially worth as much as $31 million was recently awarded to the University of Tokyo (UTokyo) by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), to counteract the bat-borne Nipah virus.
Nipah is a highly virulent disease, with a fatality rate that, according... Read More »
Researchers have developed a new tool and updated guidance to help first responders and emergency managers determine how best to decontaminate a massive number of people after chemical exposure.
The updated guidance on chemical decontamination, called Primary Response Incident Scene Management... Read More »
An Orlando, Fla.-based firm has secured a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science & Technology Directorate (S&T) contract to begin prototype testing of canine wearable technology.
The $199,540 agreement with HaloLights, LLC is part of DHS S&T’s Silicon Valley Innovation Program (SVIP),... Read More »
As a means of assessing new first responder technology solutions, the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) is hosting an initiative that evaluates innovations.
S&T officials said the agency had released a Request for Information (RFI) for... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) hosted 13 Houston-area public safety agencies and 20 industry partners at the Port of Houston in December to test first-responder technology integration.
The test also was hosted by the U.S. Coast Guard,... Read More »
