New York City first responders conduct training exercise, test new tech at Grand Central Station

New York City first responders conducted this week a critical incident training exercise and tested new technologies provided by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) at Grand Central Station.

The New York Police Department (NYPD), the Fire Department of New York (FDNY), the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Police Department (MTA-PD), New York State Police, and the National Guard participated in the exercise.

“We know that having the right technology in the hands of a first responder can save critical minutes or seconds — and reduce injuries and save lives,” William N. Bryan, DHS acting undersecretary for Science and Technology, said. “The needs of responders and the public are at the center of every decision we make as S&T works to leverage new technology to make our nation’s first responders better protected, connected, and fully aware, regardless of the hazards they face.”

S&T and the responder agencies selected both existing and emerging technologies for the exercise including those that address issues such as blue-force tracking and situational awareness, gunshot detection, and video analytics.

The technologies were integrated into the exercise, used by exercise responders and commanders and evaluated to determine their effectiveness in managing a critical incident response.