Emergency Preparedness News articles from August 2004

Emergency Preparedness News archives from August 2004

Adjusting that spotlight.(Slants & Trends)(United States. National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States)(Brief Article)
August 10, 2004... The 9/11 Commission may have a formal expiration date of Aug. 21, but members say they have every intention of sticking around--with private funding if necessary--to make sure their recommendations remain a heavily influential factor in the...

Can we handle it?(Slants & Trends)(Brief Article)
August 10, 2004... Risk communications experts are telling DHS that responders and especially the public can handle more information in terror alerts than conventional wisdom may dictate (see following story). GAO is telling DHS that it is about time to...

Experts weigh in on DHS terror alerts: it's not only what you say, but how.(United States Department of Homeland Security)
August 10, 2004... While public debate continues over the reliability of recent terrorist threat information, how it was delivered by DHS is winning high marks from some risk communication experts. DHS raised the Homeland Security Advisory System threat level...

The public as 'eyes & ears'.(Brief Article)
August 10, 2004... The public has been encouraged since 9/11 to be the "eyes and ears" of law enforcement and other responders, particularly when DHS raises the terrorist threat level. Lay people have criticized such advice as vague, confusing, and an exercise in...

Interoperability issues skirted by internet-based alert system.
August 10, 2004... The problem of interoperability over multiple networks is still a fact of life for many responders. AT&T Government Solutions and Labs has teamed with technology company Invizeon to create an emergency alert system that uses the Internet to...

Advocates see USDA emergency plan as model for meeting needs of disabled.(Department of Agriculture)(Brief Article)
August 10, 2004... Advocates for the disabled are praising the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) headquarters building in Washington, D.C., as a model for emergency planning that incorporates the needs of disabled employees. USDA began formulating the...

2004 Summer Olympics preparedness: responders must sweat the small stuff.
August 10, 2004... The 2004 Summer Olympics opening in Athens, Greece, this week will test more than athletic prowess. As the first summer games staged since 9/11, both the timing and setting of the Olympics offer their own unique security challenges, according...

MARAD renews private security fleet; takes applications for 13 more vessels.(EPN News Roundup)(Maritime Administration)(maritime security program)(Brief Article)
August 10, 2004... Pointing to past success, the Maritime Administration (MARAD) has issued interim final rules that will continue its Maritime Security Program (MSP) through 2015. The MSP, created in 1996 by the Maritime Security Act, established a fleet of...

ISPS Code compliance on the rise; Africa, Eastern Europe fall behind.(EPN News Roundup)(International Ship and Port Facility Security)(Brief Article)
August 10, 2004... Almost 90 percent of the 9000 ports worldwide that fall under the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code have an approved Port Facility Security Plan (PFSP), according to the International Maritime Organization (IMO). ...

Look beyond ISPS to 'holistic' security, Singapore minister for transport urges.(EPN News Roundup)(Brief Article)
August 10, 2004... Now that the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) July 1 compliance date has passed (see previous article), the international maritime community should be looking to expand security "from floor to door," according to Yeo Cheow...

CSI exceeds 20-port goal; CBP boosts port security for 2004 Olympic Games.(EPN News Roundup)(container security initiative)(Customs and Border Protection)(Brief Article)
August 10, 2004... U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has officially exceeded its goal of signing on 20 major international ports to the Container Security Initiative (CSI). Launched in January 2002, CSI deploys CBP officers to foreign ports that sign...

US-VISIT expands biometric checks to 12 more major air and seaports.(EPN News Roundup)(Brief Article)
August 10, 2004... DHS has expanded its U.S. Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology (US-VISIT) pilot programs to include a biometric checkout procedure at 12 air and seaports. DHS launched its first USVISIT pilots in January, requiring foreign...

Registered traveler pilot begins: flyers trade personal data for convenience.(EPN News Roundup)(Brief Article)
August 10, 2004... TSA's Registered Traveler Pilot Program is up and running at three airports and on track to open at two more before summer's end. Volunteer frequent travelers provide TSA with data including name, address, phone number, date of birth and...

Company faces suit over zylon vests; hiding flaw termed 'unconscionable'.(EPN News Roundup)(Brief Article)
August 10, 2004... Pennsylvania Attorney General Jerry Pappert has filed a civil suit in Commonwealth Court demanding that Second Chance Body Armor make restitution and pay civil penalties for failing to disclose potentially life-threatening flaws in its Zylon...

Web-based preparedness.(Brief Article)
August 10, 2004... FEMA has created a centralized Web portal to provide emergency managers and first responders with tools and information that will help them apply the mandatory National Incident Management System (NIMS) to their operations. Unveiled last...

Putting out fires.
August 10, 2004... FEMA has created a "2004 Wildland Update" Web page to help fire fighters and community leaders locate up-to-date wildland fire information. Content includes weather predictions, aviation strategies, community programs, a daily safety briefing,...

Crash prevention.(security)(Brief Article)
August 10, 2004... FEMA has joined the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health in an ongoing study to prevent emergency medical vehicle crashes, the second leading cause of firefighter deaths. Contact: FEMA, (301) 447-1853; Web site:...

Preparing utilities.(Brief Article)
August 10, 2004... The American Lifelines Alliance (ALA) is calling for comments on three draft guidelines to assist owners and operators of electric power, oil and gas pipeline, and wastewater systems to make risk management decisions during and after natural...

Preparing the private sector.(Brief Article)
August 10, 2004... Business Confronts Terrorism: Risks and Responses by Dean Alexander analyzes the threats companies face due to terrorism, possible responses, and the effects on business in the post-9/11 environment. Available from The University of Wisconsin...

Hospital emergency capacity.(health care)(Brief Article)
August 10, 2004... The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has created a tool to help state and local officials locate alternate health care sites if hospitals are overwhelmed by patients due to a bioterrorism attack or other public health...

More surge capacity.(Brief Article)
August 10, 2004... Dr. John Hick, Hennepin County Medical Center, Minneapolis, has joined several disaster medicine experts to review options for handling a sudden surge in hospital patients during to a variety of disastrous events. The study, which appears in...

Wireless reliability.(Brief Article)
August 10, 2004... Wireless and satellite telecommunications providers are now subject to the same network outage reporting requirements as wireline and cable telephony companies. New rules require cable and wireless providers to report to the FCC on significant...

Improving EAS.(emergency alert system)(Brief Article)
August 10, 2004... The FCC has issued a notice of proposed rulemaking seeking comment on how to improve the Emergency Alert System (EAS) to provide a more effective mechanism for warning the American public of an emergency. The FCC will coordinate with FEMA and...

Security vs. privacy.(internet services)(Brief Article)
August 10, 2004... The FCC has tentatively concluded that the electronic eavesdropping rules developed to implement the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act apply to facilities-based providers of broadband Internet access and to Voice over Internet...

Calendar.(Calendar)
August 10, 2004... Aug. 10 and running throughout the month: Animal Identification, various venues. In response to concerns voiced by the livestock industry, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has scheduled a series of listening and educational sessions on...

'Cargo doesn't vote'.(Slants & Trends)(Brief Article)
August 24, 2004... 'CARGO DOESN'T VOTE.' But air travelers do. That may be why Congress still seems focused on the 9-11 Commission's recommendations for air security while maritime measures barely get a mention, a maritime attorney told EPN. He was particularly...

The beat goes on.(Slants & Trends)(Brief Article)
August 24, 2004... THE BEAT GOES ON. Making good on their vow to be neither gone nor forgotten (EPN, Aug. 10, p. 113), the 9-11 Commissioners are testifying and lobbying about town on final report findings (see above). Meanwhile, commission staffers have released...

Report favors DHS/DOD collaboration to develop command and control gear.(Department of Homeland Security)(Department of Defense)
August 24, 2004... If DHS teamed up with the Department of Defense (DOD) on research and development, first responders could have earlier access to the latest technologies for reacting to disasters and terrorist attacks, according to a study from the National...

CamelBak aims to beat dehydration in most extreme bio-chem conditions.(Brief Article)
August 24, 2004... Military tests show that for responders facing the most extreme emergency conditions, dehydration can pose as great a threat as the manmade attack or natural disaster itself. CamelBak Products, creator of water backpack systems for sports...

Congressional update.(legislations)
August 24, 2004... Editor's note: With Congress's summer recess nearing an end, EPN provides the following scorecard of bills passed and signed into law and some responder-relevant measures still making their way through the legislative process. The Law of...

Security burden now dominant factor for cities competing to host Olympics.(safety and security measures)
August 24, 2004... Cities traditionally launch fierce, expensive campaigns to compete for the right to host the Olympics. But with fear of terrorist attacks high and security costs for the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, reaching more than $1...

Cargo security inadequate, say execs; spending increases planned this year.(Freight transportation)
August 24, 2004... The cargo transport industry may be sending mixed messages about its preparedness and how important homeland security is to its operations, but one signal is clear--transportation will be spending more money on security over the next 12 months....

Idea of national IDs gains steam; TSA, 9-11 panel, DHS support biometrics.(Identification, Department of Homeland Security)
August 24, 2004... Recent developments demonstrate that the federal government and the security industry in general are marching toward nationally standardized identification with biometric features as a key component in homeland security: * TSA awarded a...

Department of Justice.(Grants & Contracts)(Brief Article)
August 24, 2004... DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) has awarded $40.1 million to 93 state and local law enforcement agencies to hire a total of 535 community policing officers. The COPS Universal Hiring Program provides...

The National Institutes of Health.(Grants & Contracts)(Brief Article)
August 24, 2004... THE NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH (NIH) have awarded Children's Hospital Boston contracts totaling $10.5 million to study eczema vaccinatum (EV), a potentially life-threatening complication of smallpox immunization. The goal is to reduce EV...

NIH.(Grants & Contracts)(National Institutes of Health)(Brief Article)
August 24, 2004... NIH has also awarded Chiron Corp. a $1.19 million contract to develop up to 40,000 doses of a vaccine against H9N2 avian influenza, a strain of bird flu that is less lethal but more widespread than the headline-making strain that has killed 27...

FEMA.(Grants & Contracts)(Federal Emergency Management Agency)(Brief Article)
August 24, 2004... FEMA has awarded $3.8 million for 103 Fire Prevention and Safety grants as part of the Assistance to Firefighter Grant program. The grant program gives highest priority for projects to prevent fire-related injuries to children. Contact: FEMA...

TSA.(Grants & Contracts)(Transportation Security Administration)(Brief Article)
August 24, 2004... TSA has awarded three professors from the College of William & Mary School of Business a $1.9 million grant to develop a standard model for all U.S. ports for rerouting cargo ship traffic during seaport emergencies. Contact: Lisa Mullaly,...

Zel Technologies, Inc.(Grants & Contracts)(Brief Article)
August 24, 2004... ZEL TECHNOLOGIES, INC. has awarded Actcom Security Solutions a contract to provide electronic access and intrusion detection systems to critical buildings within maritime port complexes throughout Virginia. The contract is part of a four-phase...

Maritime threat sharing.(ways to share threat information and the need for a maritime sector)(Brief Article)
August 24, 2004... MARITIME THREAT SHARING. The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) will meet on Sept. 1 with members of the maritime industry, DHS, and other government agencies to discuss ways to share threat information and the need for a maritime sector coordinating...

Dangerous cargo.(Brief Article)
August 24, 2004... DANGEROUS CARGO. USCG has issued a temporary rule effective Sept. 17 amending the definition of certain dangerous cargo (CDC) to include ammonium nitrate and certain ammonium nitrate fertilizers in bulk, and propylene oxide alone or mixed with...

Rescue safety.(Brief Article)
August 24, 2004... RESCUE SAFETY. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health has published Workplace Solutions: Divers Beware: Training Dives Present Serious Hazards to Fire Fighters, Publication No. 2004-152. The report includes practical steps...

Stronger fire codes.(Brief Article)
August 24, 2004... STRONGER FIRE CODES. The International Code Council (ICC) has published the 2004 Supplements to the 2003 International Codes to encompass the latest developments in building regulations including strengthening fire resistance in high-rises,...

Contamination treatments.(Brief Article)
August 24, 2004... CONTAMINATION TREATMENTS. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved two drugs to treat radiation contamination caused by plutonium, americium, or curium. Approval of calcium trisodium and pentetate zinc trisodium injections are part...

Anthrax med.(medicine)(Brief Article)
August 24, 2004... ANTHRAX MED. The Department of Defense (DOD) will assist Centers for Disease Control and Prevention efforts to create a new anti-body-based anthrax medication. Volunteer anthrax-vaccinated military personnel at Army installations will donate...

Mass Decon.(Brief Article)
August 24, 2004... MASS DECON. Emergency Film group has released "Mass Decon," a video-based training program to educate emergency responders about rapidly decontaminating large crowds of exposed people in the event of mass contamination by weapons of mass...

CSI participants.(Container Security Initiative)(Brief Article)
August 24, 2004... CSI PARTICIPANTS. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has announced that Laem Chabang, Thailand and Tanjung Pelepas, Malaysia have become the 24th and 25th ports to sign onto the Container Security Initiative under which CBP officers...

Shipboarding agreement.(Brief Article)
August 24, 2004... SHIPBOARDING AGREEMENT. The United States and the Republic of the Marshall Islands have signed a reciprocal Shipboarding Agreement in support of the Proliferation Security Agreement. If a U.S. or Marshall Islands flagged vessel in international...

Inspection discretion.(Brief Article)
August 24, 2004... INSPECTION DISCRETION. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced that they will continue to exercise more lenient "enforcement discretion" for certain violations of the food shipment prior notice...

Wait time notice.(Brief Article)
August 24, 2004... WAIT TIME NOTICE. TSA is providing Webbased airport-by-airport wait times at passenger security checkpoints. The daily postings are available at www.tsa.gov under Travel Tips. Contact: TSA, (571) 227-2829.

Manufacturer develops 'fake anthrax' to cut time, money spent on testing.
August 24, 2004... The effort and expense of equipment testing for the thousands of government buildings, military bases, fire departments, hazardous materials teams, and private corporations with biological detection systems is about to drop precipitously,...