DHS seeking building collapse search & rescue technologies

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program is seeking information regarding building collapse search and rescue technologies.

The DHS Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) administered SBIR Program has issued an Other Agency Technology Solutions (OATS) Request for Information (RFI) as a means of garnering insight about technology capable of detecting trapped survivors in collapsed buildings and voids.

“The need for new and improved search and rescue technologies suited for building collapse operations gained focus after the World Trade Center collapse,” Fred Endrikat, chief of Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) National Urban Search & Rescue (US&R) Branch, said. “Twenty years later, the need for first responders to accurately and non-invasively find survivors, essentially to “see” through walls, smoke, debris, and obstacles, was reaffirmed after the Champlain Tower building collapse in Surfside, Florida.”

Eligible submissions must leverage previous SBIR or Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I, Phase II, or Phase III awards from a federal agency. Interested firms with applicable SBIR or STTR technologies are encouraged to visit the OATS RFI via SAM.gov for submission requirements. A white paper deadline of March 16, 2022, at 11:59 p.m. ET has been established, per officials.

“An SBIR OATS RFI is a unique way for the government to explore research initiated by another federal agency through a previous SBIR or Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) award,” Dusty Lang, DHS SBIR program director, said. “With the breadth of technologies developed through the SBIR Program, we can leverage the time and funding already invested to help address this vital need for our DHS partner.”