Emergency Preparedness News articles from April 2004

Emergency Preparedness News archives from April 2004

Connecting the dots.(Slants & Trends)(Brief Article)
April 6, 2004... CONNECTING THE DOTS. The nation has been treated to an unusually intimate glimpse of how terrorism has been handled at Washington's highest levels. The bipartisan 9/11 Commission heard testimony from security all-stars from both the Clinton and...

Front burner status.(Slants & Trends)(Brief Article)
April 6, 2004... FRONT BURNER STATUS. Less than one month ago, transit was the poor security cousin to the aviation industry. However, with an FBI warning that terrorists may attack trains or buses using bombs concealed in bags or luggage, transit and rail have...

Transit authorities press Washington to elevate security funding in budget.
April 6, 2004... With rail security a high-profile issue in the aftermath of the Madrid terrorist bombings, both transit and freight officials are taking the opportunity to raise Washington's consciousness about their concerns. The Department of Homeland...

Unions, railroads clash over security; profiteering or 'scaring the public'?(rail industry putting profits before security)
April 6, 2004... The rail industry is putting profits before security, particularly when it comes to replacing certified locomotive engineers with remote control technology, according to International Brotherhood of Teamsters General President James Hoffa. ...

Time to make sure federal departments know rail security duties, asserts GAO.(Brief Article)
April 6, 2004... Weighing in with its own recommendations how DHS can improve rail security, the General Accounting Office (GAO) has noted that neither DHS nor the Department of Transportation (DOT) has clear responsibilities over rail. GAO suggested the...

Airport-style security unnecessary to protect passenger trains: Amtrak.
April 6, 2004... Beefing up rail security to the level of airport-style screening and practices is not necessary, even in light of the bombings in Madrid earlier this month, insisted Amtrak spokesman Dan Stessel. He told EPN that the rail industry has been...

More screening, training on the way to boost rail security, assures DHS.(Brief Article)
April 6, 2004... With rail security suddenly in the forefront of the media and public consciousness, DHS has undertaken new initiatives to boost the safety of transit and freight rail. Ready to start right now are: * A pilot program to test the feasibility...

CBP inspection looks good on paper, must be validated onsite, GAO finds.(united states. Customs and Border Protection)(United States. General Accounting Office)(Brief Article)
April 6, 2004... U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) "cannot be reasonably sure that its targeting strategy provides the best method to protect against weapons of mass destruction entering the United States," the General Accounting Office (GAO) has...

Federal checks for hazmat drivers; states given data for endorsements.(Brief Article)
April 6, 2004... The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will conduct security background checks on all 3.5 million commercial truck drivers who transport hazardous materials (hazmat), including explosives, the agency announced April 2. The...

Livestock disease outbreak guidance available to agricultural responders.(EPN News Roundup)(Brief Article)
April 6, 2004... The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has released an informational compact disk to help federal, state, and private veterinarians and other agricultural first responders to identify, control,...

Mica anticipates 'summer meltdown,' pushes for airport congestion plan.(EPN News Roundup)(Brief Article)
April 6, 2004... The chairman of the House Transportation aviation subcommittee is pushing the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to produce a "Summer Security Congestion Plan" before long lines and delays at airport security checkpoints threaten...

Unions reject new personnel system until DHS negotiates 'serious defects'.(EPN News Roundup)(United States. Department of Homeland Security)(Brief Article)
April 6, 2004... Leaders of the three largest unions representing DHS workers have urged that the department's proposed personnel reform (EPN, March 9, p. 36) be rejected "in its entirety" and "not be implemented until the many serious defects have been...

Certified respirators.(Brief Article)
April 6, 2004... CERTIFIED RESPIRATORS. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has certified the first two air-purifying respirators to protect responders from chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear exposures: the MSA...

WMD response.(Weapons of mass destruction)(Brief Article)
April 6, 2004... WMD RESPONSE. FEMA is offering a new Emergency Response to Terrorism Job Aid to guide emergency personnel in identifying and responding to terrorist incidents using weapons of mass destruction. Responders can download the aid from...

Preservation disasters.(Brief Article)
April 6, 2004... PRESERVATION DISASTERS. FEMA has unveiled an on-line independent study course to help local, state, tribal, and federal responders comply with environmental and historic preservation regulations that affect FEMA's disaster recovery programs....

Training catolog.(services from Federal Emergency Management Agency)(Brief Article)
April 6, 2004... TRAINING CATALOG. FEMA has issued its first catalog that includes courses for both the National Fire Academy and the Emergency Management Institute, both located at the National Emergency Training Center in Emmitsburg, Md. The first semester...

9/11 health study.(Brief Article)
April 6, 2004... 9/11 HEALTH STUDY. The Department of Health and Human Services has awarded eight grants totaling $81 million to identify symptoms, injuries, or conditions indicating long-term illness among the rescue, recovery, and restoration personnel who...

Plague progress.(Brief Article)
April 6, 2004... PLAGUE PROGRESS. Scientists at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Rocky Mountain Laboratories have classified an experimental vaccine as "100 percent effective" when tested in a mouse model that mimics the natural...

Certified BSE labs.(bovine spongiform encephalopathy)(Brief Article)
April 6, 2004... CERTIFIED BSE LABS. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has approved seven geographically dispersed state laboratories for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE or mad cow) sample...

Remembering Floyd.(books,stories from flood victims)(Brief Article)
April 6, 2004... REMEMBERING FLOYD. Available from University of North Carolina Press: Faces from the Flood: Hurricane Floyd Remembered, by Richard Moore and Jay Barnes, who were serving as emergency response planners in North Carolina when Hurricane Floyd...

Agencies only 'somewhat prepared' for large disaster, say responders.(surveys)(Brief Article)
April 6, 2004... Most first responders do not believe their own agencies are prepared for large-scale emergencies and terrorist threats, according to a nationwide survey conducted by Hart-Teeter for the Council for Excellence in Government. The two-part...

TSA teams with truckers to create national highway security network.(Transportation Security Administration)
April 6, 2004... The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has struck a $19.3 million cooperative agreement with the American Trucking Associations (ATA) to expand ATA's Highway Watch program, which will train 400,000 transportation professionals how to...

Calendar.(Calendar)
April 6, 2004... April 7: Risk-Control and Liability Management for Homeland Security Vendors, an audio conference beginning at 1 p.m. EST. Government contracting attorney Stephen Sorett explains the protections provided against legal risks by the Support...

Thank you for sharing.(Slants & Trends)(Brief Article)
April 20, 2004... Intelligence information sharing among federal, state, and local law enforcement has improved, but still faces major challenges, according to a staff report from the National Commission on Terrorism Attacks Upon the United States (9/11...

'Minimized' FEMA threatens response; restore status, warns former director.(Federal Emergency Management Agency )
April 20, 2004... The changes made since 9/11 by the Bush administration to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) "have minimized its capability greatly" and threaten the agency's ability to respond adequately to disasters, according to James Lee Witt,...

Rail security advances on fast track; DHS, congress put safeguards in place.(Departmnet of Homeland Security)(Brief Article)
April 20, 2004... Spurred on by events in Madrid, the Bush administration and Congress are moving quickly to put new rail security measures in place: * TSA has chosen a rail station in the Washington, D.C.-area suburb of New Carrollton, Md., to test the...

DHS inspector finds responder grants held up by planning, lack of standards.(Department of Homeland Security)
April 20, 2004... Bureaucratic logjams at the federal, state, and local level are the primary reason that first responder grants from as far back as fiscal year (FY) 2002 have not yet been distributed, according to DHS's Office of Inspector General (OIG). ...

Install US-visit at Manhattan terminal to protect convention, Schumer urges.(not to install finger scanners and cameras at Manhattan's Passenger Ship Terminal during the Republican National Convention this summer)(Brief Article)
April 20, 2004... Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) is asking Bureau of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Robert Bonner to reconsider his decision not to install finger scanners and cameras at Manhattan's Passenger Ship Terminal during the Republican...

TSA privacy controversy continues as senators demand PNR information.(Transportation Security Administration)(Brief Article)
April 20, 2004... Senate Government Affairs Chairwoman Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Ranking Member Joe Lieberman (D-Conn.) have demanded that TSA disclose which airlines it contacted to provide passenger name record (PNR) data and for what purpose the information...

'Angels of Death' prompt hospitals to brainstorm beefing up security.(debate in the medical community over whether hospitals are doing enough to thwart security breaches by their own staff)
April 20, 2004... The jarring headlines of recent months have stirred debate in the medical community over whether hospitals are doing enough to thwart security breaches by their own staff. Earlier this month, Efren Saldivar, a respiratory therapist, was...

TSA solicits help from private sector to upgrade air security technology.(EPN News Roundup)(Transportation Security Administration)(Brief Article)
April 20, 2004... The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is calling on the private sector's technological expertise to boost security for both air passengers and cargo. TSA issued a request for proposals to provide program management, biometric...

'Scene understanding' technology poised to revolutionize surveillance.(EPN News Roundup)(Homeland Security Advanced Research Projects Agency)(Brief Article)
April 20, 2004... The hours of surveillance material from security cameras and other sensors may soon be put to more efficient use tracking down suspicious activity. DHS's Homeland Security Advanced Research Projects Agency (HSARPA) will spend $5 million this...

HSARPA tools up to detect hazards; prepares future mitigation solicitations.(EPN News Roundups)(Homeland Security Advanced Research Projects Agency)(Brief Article)
April 20, 2004... DHS's Homeland Security Advanced Research Projects Agency (HSARPA) has announced the first of numerous solicitations and contract awards scheduled for coming months to develop a broad spectrum of innovative security technologies. The first set...

Safe schools.(EPN News Roundup)(Brief Article)
April 20, 2004... DHS's Emergency Preparedness and Response Directorate recently released $26 million in Pre-Disaster Mitigation Competitive (PDM-C) Grant Program funds, including $4.1 million to construct nine tornado safe rooms for Fort Smith, Ark., schools....

DoD opens $100m anti-terror coffer for 'new ideas' to benefit responders.(EPN News Roundup)(Department of Defense)(Brief Article)
April 20, 2004... The Department of Defense (DoD) invests $100 million annually in its Technical Support Working Group (TSWG) to seek out "information on new ideas that may be useful in the war on terrorism" waged by both the military and first responders, Peter...

Northrup Grumman wins $350m prize to consolidate DHS secure data nets.(EPN News Roundup)(Brief Article)
April 20, 2004... DHS has selected Northrup Grumman to design and operate the department's new Homeland Secure Data Network (HSDN), a project to consolidate five legacy wide-area networks into one and assure secure transmission of both classified and...

Software moguls change stance; admit government has role in cyber security.(EPN News Roundup)(Brief Article)
April 20, 2004... A report from a DHS-sponsored task force that includes top strategists from the software industry has acknowledged that "appropriate and tailored government action" may be necessary to secure the nation's most sensitive cyber infrastructures....

TOPOFF 3.(United States. Department of Homeland Security announces Top Officials exercise programs)(Brief Article)
April 20, 2004... Connecticut and New Jersey will be the sites for the next congressionally-mandated Top Officials (TOPOFF) exercise, DHS has announced. TOPOFF scenarios simulate weapons of mass destruction incidents to train responders and identify national...

West Nile transfusions.(Brief Article)
April 20, 2004... The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have uncovered six cases in which people became infected with the West Nile virus through blood transfusions that had been screened for the pathogen. The agency is now investigating whether...

Flood maps.(Brief Article)
April 20, 2004... FEMA must learn how to cope with differences in the communities it serves if the agency's five-year, billion-dollar flood map modernization plan is to be a success, according to the General Accounting Office (GAO). FEMA is digitizing the maps...

Tsunami awareness.(Brief Article)
April 20, 2004... The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is taking advantage of April as Tsunami Awareness Month to step up its National Tsunami Hazard Mitigation Program run in conjunction with FEMA, the U.S. Geological Survey and Alaska,...

BSE debate #1.(Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy )(Brief Article)
April 20, 2004... The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) relieved the cattle industry and angered health advocates by rejecting a request by Kentucky-based Creekstone Farms Premium Beef for a license to use rapid tests for Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy...

BSE debate #2.(Brief Article)
April 20, 2004... A bipartisan group of six senators have called on USDA Secretary Ann Veneman to withdraw a department proposal to lift the ban on live Canadian cattle imports (EPN, March 9, p. 39). USDA had issued the proposal before a cow originating from...

Pilots study MANPADS.(Man-portable air defense systems)(Brief Article)
April 20, 2004... The Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) has decided to do its own study evaluating the risks, costs, and defensive measures against terrorist missile attacks by man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS) against commercial airliners. ALPA is not...

Water utilities share intelligence info; cyber system foils terrorists, vandals.
April 20, 2004... Emphasizing water utilities as one of the nation's critical infrastructures, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has provided a $2 million grant to the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies (AMWA) to support its Water Information...