Emergency Preparedness News articles from February 2004

Emergency Preparedness News archives from February 2004

How much is enough?(Slants & Trends)(Brief Article)
February 10, 2004... While congratulating DHS Secretary Tom Ridge on bolstering homeland security, legislators--even some Republicans --expressed concern over cuts in responder funding and the Coast Guard (see stories, pp. 17, 18, 19, 20 and 22) during the first...

In play for the election.(Slants & Trends)(Brief Article)
February 10, 2004... Reading the writing on the wall, the Bush administration has agreed to give the 9-11 Commission an extra two months to complete its report on events and causes leading up to the terrorist attacks (EPN, Oct. 7, 2003, p. 145). Preliminary results...

President's proposed FY '05 budget: responders win some, lose some.(Financial Year 2005)
February 10, 2004... The fiscal year (FY) 2005 budget proposed by the Bush administration last week touts the spending increases in homeland security and preparedness. Reading the fine print, however, reveals that numerous responder programs would suffer...

Forest Service proposes $1.7 billion for fire management, fuel reduction.(Brief Article)
February 10, 2004... The Bush administration has proposed committing $1.7 billion to the U.S. Forest Service's National Fire Plan in fiscal year (FY) 2005. That figure represents a slight ($47 million) increase over FY '04 funding, including $266 million for...

DOJ steps up anti-terrorism spending, but COPS would take precipitous drop.(Slants & Trends)(Department of Justice, Community Oriented Policing Services )(Brief Article)
February 10, 2004... Citing the prevention of terrorist attacks as the Department of Justice's (DOJ) "top priority," the Bush administration has proposed $2.8 billion in DOJ homeland security funding for fiscal year (FY) 2005, a 19 percent increase over FY '04. ...

Bush orders agro-terrorism defense; USDA, HHS budget to step up safety.(United States Department of Agriculture)(united states Department of Homeland Security)
February 10, 2004... President Bush has ordered departments and agencies to begin coordinating efforts to step up defense of the nation's agriculture and food systems against terrorist attacks and natural disasters. In a Presidential Directive released just...

Faster detection, mobilized treatment are goals of biosurveillance funding.(Brief Article)
February 10, 2004... Despite a cut in its overall proposed fiscal year (FY) 2005 budget, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) would receive hundreds of millions of dollars to boost Bush administration biosurveillance efforts. CDC would receive...

Screening, intelligence lapses persist in 9-11 panel's preliminary conclusions.
February 10, 2004... The Bush administration has relented and granted the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States an extra two months to complete its report on events and causes leading to 9/11. The commission will now release its report on...

Study refutes popular notion: private aircraft small threat to nuclear plants.(safety and security measures)
February 10, 2004... Contrary to public perception, light aircraft do not pose a threat to domestic nuclear power plant security, according to a study by Robert Jefferson, a terrorism consultant based in Albuquerque, N.M. The Aircraft Owners and Pilots...

TSA says private airport security surpasses pre- 9/11 safety level.(Transportation Security Administration)
February 10, 2004... Anyone who flies on commercial airlines knows the post-9/11 drill: arrive at the airport at least two hours early; don't carry so much as a pair of nail clippers in your on-flight baggage; be prepared to take off your coat, your shoes, and...

Ports are 'key vulnerability', FBI finds; senators call for more security funding.(Federal Bureau of Investigation)(Brief Article)
February 10, 2004... FBI intelligence indicates that U.S. ports have attracted terrorist interest and may be "a key vulnerability" in homeland security, according to Gary Bald, acting assistant director of the FBI's Counter-terrorism Division. Bald told the...

Comply or pay.(Brief Article)
February 10, 2004... The U.S. Coast Guard has confirmed that 90 percent of vessels and port facilities have turned in security plans as required by the Maritime Transportation Security Act (EPN, Nov. 18, 2003, p. 172). The Guard "will be aggressively pursuing those...

NENA finds E-911 deployment lags despite overwhelming public support.(National Emergency Number Association)(Brief Article)
February 10, 2004... With the Senate reportedly on the verge of a vote, the National Emergency Number Association (NENA) has revealed results of a year-long study concluding that only half of all public safety answering points (PSAP) will be able to locate wireless...

Coordinate dirty bomb preparedness, enlist private sector, heritage advises.(safety and security measures)
February 10, 2004... The Heritage Foundation, a conservative Washington, D.C. think tank, says the federal government could do a better job of preparing for a "dirty bomb" attack, starting with understanding the risks and consequences. The foundation's...

Greenpeace says rail hazmat security not just for the powerful and political.(curtailing rail shipments of hazardous chemicals through Washington, D.C.,)
February 10, 2004... The environmental activist organization Greenpeace has lambasted President George Bush for curtailing rail shipments of hazardous chemicals through Washington, D.C., during last month's State of the Union address. "It is hypocritical of...

Avian flu prompts bird ban.(ban on the import of birds and bird products from Cambodia, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, China (including Hong Kong), South Korea)(Brief Article)
February 10, 2004... Citing outbreaks of avian flu that killed millions of birds and at least 13 humans in Southeast Asia, the Departments of Health and Human Services and Agriculture have banned the import of birds and bird products from Cambodia, Indonesia,...

Bad impression.(Slants & Trends)(Brief Article)
February 24, 2004... If DHS is trying to demonstrate that it can handle an expansion of Patriot Act anti-terrorism powers, the Transportation Security Administration's (TSA) recent airport passenger screening actions are definitely not the way to go. TSA is being...

Congress criticizes TSA privacy policy; CAPPS screening system in jeopardy.(Transportation Security Administration, Computer-Assisted Passenger Prescreening System )
February 24, 2004... Although air passenger screening has been a post-9/11 security priority and continues to receive a lion's share of funding (EPN, Feb. 10, p. 17), the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is struggling in the wake of serious criticism of...

DHS calls for sensitive private data to assess infrastructure vulnerability.(Department of Homeland Security)(Brief Article)
February 24, 2004... The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has emphasized that post 9/11 preparedness requires an unprecedented partnership of public and private entities. DHS opened a new chapter in that partnership Feb. 19 with the unveiling of the Protected...

TSA pledges $185m to Phoenix, Atlanta.(The Transportation Security Administration)(Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport )(Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport )(Brief Article)
February 24, 2004... The Transportation Security Administration has signed letters of intent with Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport to provide a total of $185 million for permanent explosive detection...

Going high-tech on terrorism is goal of senate-passed law enforcement bill.(Brief Article)
February 24, 2004... State and local law enforcement agencies would be able to purchase and receive training in the latest counterterrorism technology under legislation passed this month by the Senate. The bill (S.1612) would create a Homeland Security...

NIST scientists use demolition 'labs' to innovate disaster communications.(National Institute of Standards and Technology)
February 24, 2004... The wrenching story is broadcast from disaster sites around the world whenever collapsed buildings are involved. Responders run a harrowing race against time to find victims alive before "search and rescue" must sadly become "recovery." A...

Terror-resistant construction.(design,construction,and engineering of high occupancy buildings that are more resistant to terrorist attack)(Brief Article)
February 24, 2004... The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has released four new publications in its Multi-Hazard Risk Management Series providing guidance on the latest science and technology for designing, constructing, and engineering high occupancy...

Coalition pushes Bush to weigh in on public safety radio interference.
February 24, 2004... First responders have been plagued in recent years with increasing communication interference from commercial wireless carriers using radio frequencies adjacent to the public safety spectrum. With the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)...

Early warning on bioterror.(Brief Article)
February 24, 2004... The Army, in conjunction with Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Lincoln Laboratory, and the Environmental Protection Agency, has just completed the fifth in a series of tests to determine if common radars can provide an early warning...

Ricin's most serious threats: fear, overwhelming medical resources.(safety and security measures)
February 24, 2004... The recent ricin incidents on Capitol Hill, the White House, and a South Carolina postal facility have led security experts and physicians to reevaluate whether the toxin is as deadly a threat as anthrax or a lesser risk to public health. ...

Neither rain, sleet, nor bioterrorism: USPS to deliver emergency antibiotics.(United States. Postal Service)(Brief Article)
February 24, 2004... The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) is drafting a plan with the departments of Health and Human Services and Homeland Security under which postal carriers would deliver antibiotics on a volunteer basis from the Strategic National Stockpile directly...

Security's business side: plumbing DHS budget for private sector profit.(Department of Homeland Security)
February 24, 2004... The private sector can expect to compete for about $8 billion in spending by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in fiscal year (FY) 2005, according to Washington, D.C., consulting firm Civitas Group LLC. Civitas analyzed the Bush...

DHS proposes reforming HR system to attract skills, move with the market.(Department of Homeland Security)(Brief Article)
February 24, 2004... In a move being billed as one of the biggest civil service reforms in 50 years, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has proposed revamping its human resources (HR) system to "act swiftly and decisively in response to mission needs" and...

Cyber security.(Brief Article)
February 24, 2004... The National Cyber Security Division of the Department of Homeland Security is now providing email alerts for both home computer users and private and government systems that will announce security vulnerabilities such as viruses and software...

Workplace response.(a national emergency management plan to provide technical assistance for responder and recovery workers' health and safety during a national emergency)(Brief Article)
February 24, 2004... The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued a National Emergency Management Plan to clarify how its national, regional, and area offices will provide technical assistance for responder and recovery workers' health and...

Armed pilots.(services)(Brief Article)
February 24, 2004... The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is now accepting on-line applications from cargo pilots who want to carry a gun in the cockpit. Congress authorized TSA last year to extend its Federal Flight Deck Officer program that trains and...

Handling Hazmat.(handbooks)(Brief Article)
February 24, 2004... Available from publisher John Wiley & Sons--Haz-Mat Data: For First Response, Transportation, Storage, and Security, Second Edition by Richard Pohanish. The newly-updated book explains for first responders and hazardous chemical transporters...

Handling WMD.(weapons of mass destruction)(Brief Article)
February 24, 2004... "Detecting Weapons of Mass Destruction" (WMD) is a video-based training program by Emergency Film Group designed to teach special operations units such as hazmat teams, bomb squads, tactical units, and the military the techniques and equipment...

Post 9/11 learning curve.(web-based training enrollments skyrocketing 120 percent)(Brief Article)
February 24, 2004... On-campus enrollment in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) responder training programs has risen 10% since 2001, with distance learning and Web-based training enrollments skyrocketing 120 percent, FEMA has reported. On-site training...

Infrastructure protection.(online documents on anti-terrorism infrastructure protection for a variety of public and private facilities)(Brief Article)
February 24, 2004... FEMA has published a series of online documents providing information on anti-terrorism infrastructure protection for a variety of public and private facilities. Topics include architecture and design, engineering and construction, physical...

Trial response on line.(on-line study course to train those,who interact with Native American tribal governments )(Brief Article)
February 24, 2004... FEMA has released an on-line study course to train those who interact with Native American tribal governments on how to work together on all-hazards preparedness and response. Tribal representatives discuss their history and culture, and advise...

Mudslide lookout.(instructions of basins with the greatest potential for debris-flow )(Brief Article)
February 24, 2004... The U.S. Geological Survey has posted maps on the Internet identifying Southern California basins with the greatest potential for debris-flow (mudslide) activity as a result of last fall's devastating wildfires (EPN, Nov. 18, 2003, p. 169)....

Fire guide.(International Code Council Foundation )(publishing of free Fire Code Inspector's Guide)(Brief Article)
February 24, 2004... State Farm Insurance, the International Code Council Foundation and the International Association of Fire Chiefs have published a free Fire Code Inspector's Guide. Based on the 2000 International Fire Code, the guide contains definitions,...

Consultant urges utility to adopt responders' approach to outages.(Brief Article)
February 24, 2004... An effective way for a utility to recover from an extensive storm-related power failure is to treat it as a community-wide disaster, according to a report analyzing the performance last fall of Washington, D.C.'s power provider during Hurricane...

Calendar.(Calendar)
February 24, 2004... Feb. 26: Homeland Security Legal Briefs for Business--Import Security Issues, conducted over the Web, 11-11:45 a.m. EST. Sponsored by Baker & McKenzie law firm in Washington, D.C., the seminar briefs businesses on U.S. Customs Service...