First Responders
In response to growing calls to abolish U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), a group of 15 Republican senators introduced a resolution on Wednesday voicing support for the agency.
U.S. Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Joe Kennedy (R-LA) noted that ICE agents rescued 1,422 victims of... Read More »
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted military emergency use authorization of freeze-dried plasma as a means of aiding injury treatment in a potential battlefield setting.
Officials said the action clears the way for Pathogen-Reduced Leukocyte-Depleted Freeze-Dried Plasma to be used... Read More »
State Minority Leader, and former law enforcement officer, Sen. Jay Costa (D-43rd District) recently announced that he would introduce measures designed to bolster police training initiatives in the wake of officer-involved shootings across the commonwealth and nation.
“I believe it is... Read More »
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will establish a Firefighter Cancer Registry to evaluate whether firefighters’ exposure to toxins and dangerous fumes is linked to cancer under a bill that was signed into law on Monday.
Under the Firefighter Cancer Registry Act, the CDC... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) is partnering with public safety agencies from Harris County, Texas, to conduct operational tests for first responders.
The Next Generation First Responder (NGFR) – Harris County Operational... Read More »
The United States and Canada launched last week an initiative designed to explore the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and situational awareness technologies during critical incidents.
Officials representing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T)... Read More »
Bell Boeing recently approved the conversion of the previously awarded V-22 tiltrotor aircraft contract to a fixed-price-incentive-fee multiyear contract, providing for the manufacture and delivery to armed forces divisions.
Officials said the $4,191,533,822 revision clears the way for 39... Read More »
A federal grand jury in Baltimore indicted 24 alleged MS-13 gang members on violent racketeering, money laundering conspiracy and murder from 2015 to 2017, according to a June 26 indictment that was unsealed on Monday.
The defendants are accused of murdering five people, conspiring to murder... Read More »
The fiscal year 2019 Defense Appropriations Act, which the House advanced last week, includes increased funding for several Arizona military programs and installations.
The package includes $144 million for new A-10 wings which will re-wing between 14-20 planes, Rep. Martha McSally (R-AZ) said.... Read More »
Four New York lawmakers led an effort to defeat a proposal to separate the World Trade Center Health Program, which provides treatment services for first responders and survivors with 9/11-related health conditions, from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, according to a June... Read More »
Organizers of FirstNet, the nationwide public safety communications platform dedicated to America's first responders, said the endeavor has been fervently embraced.
More than 1,000 public safety agencies across 52 states and territories have joined FirstNet, officials noted, nearly doubling the... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has tasked AktiVax, Inc. with developing an auto-injector that allows drugs designed to counter chemical nerve agents to be administered without specialized training.
The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA)... Read More »
Global security and aerospace company Lockheed Martin has been awarded a 364 million contract to produce Army missiles, the company announced Monday.
The production agreement for Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) missiles also applies to a Foreign Military Sales customer.
The service... Read More »
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office will use Rockwell Collins’ UrgentLink disaster communications network as a backup if primary communication infrastructure fails during natural or man-made disasters.
As a beyond-line-of-sight communications system that operates on the high-frequency... Read More »
A national registry would be created to collect data on the prevalence of cancer in firefighters to better understand how smoke inhalation and other occupational hazards contribute under a bill that cleared Congress on Friday.
The Firefighter Cancer Registry Act of 2017, H.R. 931 would require... Read More »
The U.S. Air Force and Boeing have announced plans for the first Boeing-built KC-46 Tanker, a military version of the 767 commercial aircraft, to be delivered to bases in Oklahoma and Kansas in October.
The announcement drew praise from U.S. Reps. Tom Cole (R-OK) and Frank Lucas (R-OK), whose... Read More »
University of Kansas students recently created a tool designed to enhance emergency preparedness efforts.
Officials said military, veteran, and civilian students in the university’s new homeland security master's program developed and implemented an emergency plan for a long-term blackout... Read More »
In response to evolving terror threats, the U.S. House of Representatives approved bills on Tuesday to enhance federal efforts to protect against vehicular terrorism and to establish a federal laboratory to develop new technologies for use by law enforcers and first responders.
U.S. Rep. Dan... Read More »
BAE Systems was awarded a $198 million contract by the U.S. Marine Corp to deliver 30 Amphibious Combat Vehicles (ACV).
The contract also includes an option for a total of 204 vehicles which could be worth up to $1.2 billion.
“We are well positioned and ready to build the future of... Read More »
The Air Force recently highlighted the ability of Eagle Vision, technology that is capable of processing satellite imagery in near real-time, to assist in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief efforts, including those the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico.
First deployed during... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) has made a number of improvements to its Watchtower mobile application, which connects to wearable technology that tracks the location and vital signs of first responders on a mission.
Released in February,... Read More »
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is partnering with BAE Systems to develop software aiding military planners in understanding and addressing dynamics driving world conflicts.
Through a $4.2 million Phase 1 contract awarded by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), the... Read More »
Laredo Sector Border Patrol Agents recently joined forces with the Government of Mexico to interrupt a human smuggling effort resulting in 24 arrests.
Officials said agents assigned to the Laredo Sector Intelligence Unit received information regarding a large assembly at a residence in Nuevo... Read More »
Civilian and military bomb squad teams from across the country will take part in Sandia Labs’ 12th annual Western National Robot Rodeo this week, a competition that uses simulated scenarios to test the ability of first responders to use robots to complete hazardous tasks.
Ten bomb squad teams... Read More »
The Chicago Field Office (CFO) for U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) employs 32 canine teams – each consisting of a dog and its handler – to detect drugs at airports, post offices, and other border entry locations.
The dogs are typically one of three breeds -- Belgian Malinois, German... Read More »
Swanton Sector Chief Patrol Agent John Pfeifer has retired from the U.S. Border Patrol, closing out a career that spanned 31 years.
“It has been my honor to serve as the Chief Patrol Agent for the past seven years,” said Pfeifer, who began his career in Uvalde, Texas, after entering on duty... Read More »
FLIR Systems has been awarded a $2.6 million order from the United States Army for airborne video surveillance units.
Specifically, FLIR will provide its Black Hornet Personal Reconnaissance Systems (PRS), which is used by soldiers for surveillance and reconnaissance.
The FLIR Black Hornet... Read More »
A four-day training course coordinated by federal and territorial agencies in Puerto Rico last week culminated in a practice scenario that tested the ability of first responders and health care workers to respond to a simulated traffic crash that resulted in the release of chlorine gas.
The... Read More »
U.S. Marines along with members of the British army Commandos concluded their Red Dagger training exercises last week.
This year's exercise is the fifth iteration of the bilateral training program, which took place at Fort Indiantown Gap (FTIG), Pennsylvania, May 12-25. The exercise featured... Read More »
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently recommended that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) facilitate better collaboration among first responders during emergencies.
After Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans and the Gulf region in 2005, Congress passed a law... Read More »
FLIR Systems, Inc. introduced last week three new radar and thermal imaging systems that can be used by militaries and government border patrol agencies to detect objects on land and in the air, including microdrones.
The FLIR Ranger R8SS-3D and R8SS radars can provide mid-range detection... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that New York was awarded hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding to enhance security preparedness and anti-terror activities through grant programming in fiscal year 2018.
New York City will receive $178 million under the... Read More »
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced this week that it is working with the Government of Puerto Rico to train emergency and healthcare workers to respond to mass casualty incidents.
FEMA’s Center for Domestic Preparedness is running a four-day training course from May 29 to... Read More »
Marines and first responders with Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Miramar Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF), the Provost Marshal’s Office, and MCAS Miramar Fire Department recently conducted an exercise that simulated a bioterrorism attack at MCAS Miramar, California.
Marines with... Read More »
The U.S. House of Representatives approved four bills last week that would take steps to enhance protections for law enforcement officers through stricter penalties, additional resources and improved collaboration with local communities.
The Protect and Serve Act, H.R. 5698, aims to prevent... Read More »
