First Responders
Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D-VA) signed a letter this week, accepting the plan laid out by the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) and AT&T to build a wireless public safety broadband network throughout Virginia, making it the first state in the country to do so.
As part of the agreement,... Read More »
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) recently released a proposal to add an alert option to the nation’s Emergency Alert System (EAS) that aims to protect law enforcement officers by allowing them to notify the public of various threats to officers and provide information on wanted... Read More »
Legislation from U.S. Rep. Dan Donovan (R-NY) that supports the nation’s efforts to prepare for and respond to terror attacks and emergencies cleared the House Homeland Security Committee last week as part of the Department of Homeland Security Authorization Act.
Donovan, who serves as... Read More »
The first nationwide high-speed network for first responders edged closer to launching this week with the release of individual state plans by AT&T and the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) to help expedite the network’s buildout.
Officials will have up to 45 days to review plans... Read More »
As the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) locks in its budget priorities, on the potential chopping block is the National Biodefense Analysis and Countermeasures Center (NBACC)—a potentially devastating public health concern, one expert says.
That center, which aided governmental response... Read More »
AT&T recently selected Motorola Solutions to provide a variety of mobile applications, software and services as part of its rollout of the first nationwide, interoperable public safety broadband network for first responders.
AT&T was chosen as the developer of the network by the First Responder... Read More »
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), an organization within the U.S. Department of Commerce, recently awarded $38.5 million for 33 different research and development projects that seek to advance broadband communication technologies for first responders.
The grants are... Read More »
Members of the House Homeland Security Committee from both parties expressed opposition to the Trump administration’s proposed budget that would cut funding for training and deployment for local security programs by as much as 30 percent next year, even while the overall funding for the... Read More »
In the weeks since AT&T was awarded a contract to develop the first nationwide broadband network for first responders, FirstNet has since been begun the process of providing each state governor with a notice of completion for the request for proposal process.
While AT&T was awarded with the... Read More »
The House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Communications and Technology Subcommittee recently held a hearing discussing the nation’s emergency alert systems and how technological advancements could alter their future.
“Outfitting first responders with the robust capabilities of broadband... Read More »
A bill to improve enforcement of the nation’s immigration laws by cracking down on sanctuary city policies was recently introduced in the House of Representatives by U.S. Reps. Raúl Labrador
(R-ID) and Bob Goodlatte (R-VA).
The Michael Davis, Jr. and Danny Oliver in Honor of State and... Read More »
A bipartisan bill to assist local fire departments in saving money and hire more trained first responders was recently introduced in the Senate by U.S. Sens. Gary Peters (D-MI) and Susan Collins (R-ME).
The Firefighters Retention Act of 2017 gives fire departments the ability to use Staffing... Read More »
A team of scientists from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) recently began an initiative on developing technologies to detect trace amount of fentanyl, heroin, and other substances to help prevent accidental exposure for law enforcement.
Through a research paper... Read More »
Fourteen members of the U.S. House of Representatives reintroduced this week the First Responders Passport Act, which allows the Secretary of State to waive passport fees for American first responders when making trips abroad to assist in natural disaster response efforts.
The bipartisan group... Read More »
The Georgia Department of Defense and the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency recently co-hosted the Vigilant Guard 17 emergency-response exercise to test emergency first response capabilities during a potential disaster scenario.
The exercise was conducted in response to... Read More »
The House Energy and Commerce Committee held a Communications and Technology Subcommittee hearing last week to examine the nation’s 911 networks and any weaknesses that may exist within the system itself.
The purpose of the hearing, titled Realizing Nationwide Next-Generation 911, was to... Read More »
Build out of the nation’s first wireless high-speed communications system aimed at connecting all of America’s first responders via a dedicated broadband network will begin this fall, says AT&T, the new primary contractor in a federal government contract valued at $46.5 billion.
The... Read More »
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur L. Ross plans to make an announcement on Thursday regarding the signing of a 25-year contract for a public-private partnership to create the first nationwide public safety broadband network.
AT&T is the only publicly known entity that is being considered for the... Read More »
The State of New York recently received more than $5 million in federal Homeland Security grant funding for local governments across the state to enhance counterterrorism initiatives and strengthen public safety-related projects.
The funding was announced by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, U.S.... Read More »
Glagio do Brasil, a Brazilian manufacturer of protective equipment for several branches of Brazil’s law enforcement and military, recently chose Honeywell’s Gold Shield ballistic composite materials for use in ballistic protective vests for the country’s second-largest police force in Minas... Read More »
A representative of emergency first responders called on Congress Tuesday to extend an exemption from President Donald Trump’s Executive Order on sanctuary cities so that firefighters and other critical emergency service providers in those jurisdictions can continue accepting federal... Read More »
U.S. Rep. Dan Donovan (R-NY), chairman of the House Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Communications Subcommittee, recently won House approval of counterterrorism legislation that improves the capabilities of first responders and strengthens homeland security.
“My plan is to try to utilize... Read More »
The U.S. House of Representatives recently passed legislation make sure that first responders can acquire new equipment and innovative technologies needed to respond to evolving threats.
The First Responder Access to Innovative Technologies Act of 2017, authored by Rep. Donald Payne, Jr.... Read More »
The U.S. House of Representatives unanimously advanced the Medical Preparedness Allowable Act, which aims to secure reliable grant funding for the stockpiling of medical kits and equipment for first responders.
The bill, authored by Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), would make funding available for... Read More »
U.S. Rep. Donald Payne, Jr. (D-NJ) recently introduced legislation to make it easier for first responders to acquire new equipment and technologies they need to respond to potential threats.
The First Responder Access to Innovative Technologies Act of 2017 would require the Federal Emergency... Read More »
After the implementation of New Hampshire House Bill 1298 earlier this month, U.S. Border Patrol officers stationed in Coos County now have state police authority after a training period.
The bill now gives Border Patrol agents the authority to provide immediate assistance to a person who has... Read More »
The federally backed Broadband Opportunity Program recently awarded a $33 million grant to allow the state of Mississippi to build infrastructure to enhance communication and coordination among first responder emergency providers.
“The goal is to increase the care provided to patients, and to... Read More »
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents last week seized more than $2 million worth of illicit narcotics over separate incidents.
The first incident occurred on Jan. 18 as officers stationed at the Port of Hidalgo, Texas, encountered a white 2012 Ford Mustang driven by a 27-year-old U.S.... Read More »
U.S. Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-TX) called on President Donald Trump to prioritize law enforcement safety, specifically advocating for a reversal of former President Barack Obama’s decision to restrict access to the 1033 Program, which provided surplus military equipment to state and local law... Read More »
As President Donald J. Trump was sworn in as the 45th president of the United States, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) provided assistance in securing for the inauguration, along with the inaugural parade.
The inauguration was notable... Read More »
States across the nation are making preparations ahead of the development of a new Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network.
The First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) in the coming months will select a private vendor to develop and deploy a national network dedicated to first responders... Read More »
As FirstNet nears an award of a sizable contract to a private vendor to deploy a Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network, some states including New Hampshire, Colorado, Alabama and Arizona have explored alternative statewide networks to strengthen emergency communications.
“Interoperability... Read More »
The U.S.-Israel Binational Industrial Research and Development (BIRD) Foundation recently issued a call for proposals of next-generation first responder technologies to promote joint development ventures for first responder training and development.
"The BIRD Foundation is happy to accelerate... Read More »
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers stationed at the Port of Nogales in Arizona arrested a 21-year-old man from Nogales, Sonora, Mexico on Jan. 9 for attempting to smuggle a large weapons cache into Mexico through the port.
During routine outbound operations, officers selected the... Read More »
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) recently opened a new general aviation processing facility for the PAZOS Fixed Base Operator (FBO) at the Luis Munoz Marin International Airport (SJU) in Carolina, Puerto Rico.
CBP said the new general aviation facility (GAF) was built in compliance with... Read More »
