Emergency Preparedness News articles from February 2005

Emergency Preparedness News archives from February 2005

The growing pains continue.(Slants & Trends)(government agency restructuring)(Brief Article)
February 8, 2005... THE GROWING PAINS CONTINUE for DHS as the department enters a new phase of organizational development on several fronts at once. At deadline, Michael Chertoff was expected to be confirmed as the new DHS Secretary by the Senate (see story, this...

DHS nominee lays out philosophy: responder funding based on risk.
February 8, 2005... Funding for first responders will be tied even more closely to risk assessments in the second Bush Administration, according to the White House's nominee for DHS Secretary. Testifying at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Homeland...

DHS to overhaul civil service system; Congress, unions see erosion of rights.
February 8, 2005... DHS is instituting the first major overhaul of the civil service system since 1978. Outgoing DHS Secretary Tom Ridge touted the new system as "designed to create an environment that enhances recruitment, retention, and development of superior...

President's proposed FY06 budget a mixed bag for responder funding.
February 8, 2005... Editor's note: The Bush Administration released its 2006 proposed budget at our deadline. The following article includes highlights of DHS funding; more details and the budgets of other departments and agencies with programs important to...

TSA requires fingerprinting, checks to obtain Hazmat truck licenses.(Transportation Security Administration)(Brief Article)
February 8, 2005... TSA began the second phase of its Hazmat Threat Assessment Program on Feb. 1 by requiring the fingerprinting of truck drivers applying to add a hazardous materials endorsement (HME) to their state-issued commercial drivers license. During...

ACLU, 9/11 families call on Congress: protect whistleblowers, investigate FBI.(American Civil Liberties Union)(Brief Article)
February 8, 2005... Congress must step in and stop the federal government from silencing whistleblowers, according to a coalition that includes the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), families of 9/11 victims, and whistleblowers themselves. The groups have...

Bioterror dollars may be detracting from infectious disease staffing.(Brief Article)
February 8, 2005... Federal bioterrorism funding may be skewing public health department capacity toward homeland security and emergency preparedness and away from other important areas such as infectious diseases, according to survey results from the Council of...

IT checklist spec available now.(Brief Article)
February 8, 2005... The National Security Agency (NSA) has teamed with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to release the specification for the Extensible Configuration Checklist Description Format (XCCDF), a security checklist program for...

FEMA launches web-based tool to assist with NIMS compliance.(Brief Article)
February 8, 2005... FEMA has launched a web-based selfassessment tool so that federal, state, tribal, and local responder organizations can determine what actions they must take to comply with National Incident Management System (NIMS) requirements. NIMS aims...

Coast Guard should adjust readiness to post 9/11 duties, recommends GAO.(Government Accountability Office)(Brief Article)
February 8, 2005... The U.S. Coast Guard is still struggling with station readiness due to increased post-9/11 duties, according to the Government Accountability Office (GAO). The Coast Guard defines station readiness as the ability to execute mission requirements...

Hazmat accident fallout continues; policymakers look to set limits.(Hazardous materials)(Brief Article)
February 8, 2005... The fallout of recent hazmat cargo accidents (EPN, Jan. 25, p. 9) continues to reverberate throughout the nation: * Sen. Jon Corzine (D.-N.J.) has announced plans to introduce a bill that would establish federal guidelines for the physical...

DHS to test RF tech at land borders; pilot seeks to increase speed, security.(radio frequency technology)(Brief Article)
February 8, 2005... DHS's Border and Transportation Security Directorate will begin testing radio frequency (RF) technology at a simulated land port this spring and expand the pilot by July 31 to the Nogales East and Nogales West land borders in Arizona,...

Attention firefighters/EMTs.(Grant & Contracts)(Brief Article)
February 8, 2005... ATTENTION FIREFIGHTERS/EMTs: The DHS Office of Domestic Preparedness (ODP) has tentatively scheduled the application period for the $650 million Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program 2005 for March 7 to April 8. ODP also has posted the...

The fire and emergency training network.(Grant & Contracts)(registrations for training )(Brief Article)
February 8, 2005... THE FIRE AND EMERGENCY TRAINING NETWORK (FETN) is accepting registrations for its free grant-writing assistance service to fire and EMS organizations that are applying for funding from the 2005 Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program....

DHS.(Grant & Contracts)(Department of Homeland Security)(Brief Article)
February 8, 2005... DHS has awarded 145 grants to U.S. fire departments totaling $11.5 million to purchase equipment, fund firefighter health and safety programs, enhance emergency medical services, and conduct fire education and prevention programs. The awards...

DHS homeland security advanced research projects agency.(Grant & Contracts)(Autonomous Rapid Facility Chemical Agent Monitor)(Brief Article)
February 8, 2005... DHS HOMELAND SECURITY ADVANCED RESEARCH PROJECTS AGENCY (HSARPA) has awarded Agilent Technologies Inc. a $930,000 research grant to develop an Autonomous Rapid Facility Chemical Agent Monitor (ARFCAM) chemical agency detection system. ARFCAM is...

U.S. customs and border patrol.(Grant & Contracts)(protective vests contracts)(Brief Article)
February 8, 2005... U.S. CUSTOMS AND BORDER PATROL (CBP) has signed a multi-year agreement to outfit the majority of its 11,000 agents with protective vests containing DuPont Advanced Fiber Systems' Kevlar Comfort XLT material. U.S. Armor manufactured the vests...

Department of transportation.(Grant & Contracts)(Brief Article)
February 8, 2005... DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION (DOT) has awarded Lykes Lines, Tampa, Fla., a 10-year, $145 million contract to operate five U.S. flag containerships in DOT's new Maritime Security Program (MSP). The goal of the MSP is to provide DOT access to a...

U.S. army space and missile defense command.(Grant & Contracts)(Paladin Data Systems Corp. research funding)(Outbreak Detection Information Network development)(Brief Article)
February 8, 2005... U.S. ARMY SPACE AND MISSILE DEFENSE COMMAND has awarded Paladin Data Systems a $1.8 million contract to conduct additional research and development on its Outbreak Detection Information Network (ODIN). The original goal of the ODIN project was...

Air Force office of scientific research.(Grant & Contracts)(Nanospectra Biosciences Inc receives grant from air force)(Brief Article)
February 8, 2005... AIR FORCE OFFICE OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH has awarded Houston-based Nanospectra Biosciences Inc., a $750,000 grant to continue development of a system for detecting chemical and biological agents based on nanoshell technology. A nanoshell is...

Info sharing still needs work.(Department of Homeland Security information management)(Brief Article)
February 8, 2005... INFO SHARING STILL NEEDS WORK. Homeland security information sharing among government agencies and between the public and private sectors remains "ineffective and fragmented," according to the Government Accountability Office. High Risk Series:...

9/11 recollections.(Library of Congress online report on public opinion of terrorism)(Brief Article)
February 8, 2005... 9/11 RECOLLECTIONS. The Library of Congress has placed online the September 11, 2001 Documentary Project, a collection of 200 audio and video interviews, 45 graphic items, and 21 written narratives that include reactions, eyewitness accounts,...

Stopping WMD at the border ...(Weapons of Mass Destruction)(ground-mounted Radiation Portal Monitors)(Brief Article)
February 8, 2005... STOPPING WMD AT THE BORDER... U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) has installed ground-mounted Radiation Portal Monitors on all car and truck lanes at its Calexico East border station to detect nuclear devices, dirty bombs, and other nuclear...

... And worldwide.(Global Threat Reduction Initiative to secure nuclear materials)(Brief Article)
February 8, 2005... ... AND WORLDWIDE. The U.S. must dramatically increase efforts to prevent nuclear terrorism, according to a report from the House Majority Policy Subcommittee on National Security and Foreign Affairs. Recommendations in "All Tools at Our...

Intelligence clash?(monitoring of Defense Intelligence Agency )(Brief Article)
February 8, 2005... INTELLIGENCE CLASH? Leaders of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs are keeping an eye on the new Defense Intelligence Agency's Strategic Support Branch, created to provide combatant commanders' anti-terror war...

Homeowner preparedness.(Homeownership Alliance to publish Emergency Preparedness Guide)(Brief Article)
February 8, 2005... HOMEOWNER PREPAREDNESS. DHS has partnered with the Homeownership Alliance to publish Emergency Preparedness Guide, which provides steps that residents can take to prepare for potential terrorist attacks and other emergencies. Local National...

Supporting Tsunami relief.(Brief Article)
February 8, 2005... SUPPORTING TSUNAMI RELIEF. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is supporting tsunami relief efforts by supplying before and after images of affected coastlines. USGS has downloaded 170,000 files totaling more than two terabytes covering one...

Calendar.(Calendar)
February 8, 2005... Feb. 14-15: BTA 2005 Washington D.C. Conference: Cargo, Security and Trade: Maintaining the Right Balance, Washington, D.C. Sponsored by the Intelligent Transportation Society of America (ITSA), the conference will address such topics as how...

Knock, knock.(Slants & Trends)(budget neglects important homeland security priorities)
February 22, 2005... KNOCK, KNOCK. Who's there? For members of Congress who hold the purse or policy strings of first responder programs, it's the line of protesters asserting that the Bush Administration's proposed fiscal year 2006 budget neglects important...

Meanwhile, DHS is getting Kudos.(Slants & Trends)(Brief Article)
February 22, 2005... MEANWHILE, DHS IS GETTING KUDOS for the plan revealed in its FY 2006 budget to begin establishing a regional structure for all its missions. As it stands, 12 of 22 DHS agencies, including FEMA, already have regional and field offices throughout...

State Communication Network provides Maryland a lesson in interoperability.
February 22, 2005... The state of Maryland's Office of Homeland Security will spend the next six to eight years and $70-80 million solving emergency responders' interoperability problems. In tangling with technology, however, the parties involved discovered another...

Fish or fowl? Debate continues over VoIP safety responsibilities.(Voice over Internet Protocol)(Brief Article)
February 22, 2005... The debate over the public safety responsibilities of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services is heating up right along with industry sales. The Voice on the Net (VON) Coalition, representing VoIP providers, and the Association of...

Responder group pushes firefighters to focus on their safety and health.(Changing a culture: can firefighters rescue themselves?)
February 22, 2005... With FEMA's firefighter fatality statistics freshly in mind (EPN, Jan. 25, p. 15), the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF) is out to do no less than change the culture of first responders in order to save their lives as they rescue...

More money for 'Healthy Forests' while state, volunteer firefighters get cuts.(Changing a culture: can firefighters rescue themselves?)(Brief Article)
February 22, 2005... The Bush Administration has proposed a fiscal year 2006 budget increase for its Healthy Forests Initiative, but reduced overall spending for the National Fire Plan, the main federal funding mechanism for wildfire response. The Healthy...

Citing national interagency.(USFS News Briefs)(Brief Article)
February 22, 2005... CITING NATIONAL INTERAGENCY Fire Center data, Agriculture Undersecretary Mark Rey told the House Forests and Forest Health Subcommittee that dead trees and brush left in the wake of hurricane season combined with subsequent dry weather put...

The GAO reported that.(USFS News Briefs)(Government Accountability Office)(funding for National Fire Plan)(Brief Article)
February 22, 2005... THE GAO REPORTED THAT the Departments of Agriculture and Interior, which jointly administer the National Fire Plan, have yet to develop "a cohesive strategy that explicitly identifies long-term options and related funding needed" so that...

DOJ budget would cut COPS, hire anti-terror agents, screening staff.(Department of Justice)(Community Oriented Policing Services)
February 22, 2005... The Department of Justice's Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Program would suffer an 80 percent cut under the Bush Administration's fiscal year 2006 proposed budget, prompting protests from law enforcement officers. Although...

Ag proposes boost in food defense; Ups BSE, bioterror response funding.(Department of Agriculture)(bovine spongiform encephalopathy)(Brief Article)
February 22, 2005... U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) programs to defend the nation's food supply against terrorist attack remained top priorities in the Bush Administration's FY 2006 budget proposal, which would increase funding by $78 million to a total of...

HHS budget emphasizes national over state biodefense programs.(Brief Article)
February 22, 2005... Not all preparedness programs were winners in the 2006 proposed budget for the Department of Health and Human Services as the Bush Administration targeted high-priority programs "that will benefit the nation as a whole": * Strategic...

Taxpayers slam security fee.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
February 22, 2005... TAXPAYERS SLAM SECURITY FEE. Air travelers will pay "not one more penny" in security fees if the National Taxpayers Union (NTU) has its way, according to Vice President for Communications Peter Sepp. He said that NTU plans to fight the Bush...

Portal pilot progress.(Briefly Noted)(Airport installed with explosives detection portals )(Brief Article)
February 22, 2005... PORTAL PILOT PROGRESS. TSA installed at Baltimore-Washington International Airport the second of eight explosives detection portals for its pilot program (EPN, Nov. 30, p. 183). Six more airports will receive portals by late spring, and TSA...

TSA customer service.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
February 22, 2005... TSA CUSTOMER SERVICE. TSA has made a "Pledge to Travelers"--a statement of seven rights and expectations for people who go through the screening process at U.S. airports. Items include treating travelers with "courtesy, dignity, and respect,"...

D.C. area airports reopen.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
February 22, 2005... D.C. AREA AIRPORTS REOPEN. TSA has reopened to transient aircraft three Maryland general aviation airports in the Washington, D.C., area that have been closed to such traffic since 9/11. TSA will assume responsibility for ground security...

Mitigation tax?(Briefly Noted)(Internal Revenue Service taxation on flood prevention grants)(Brief Article)
February 22, 2005... MITIGATION TAX? Rep. Ernest Istook (R.Okla.), vice chair of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security has rounded up more than 30 cosponsors to reverse through legislation an IRS decision to tax FEMA flood prevention grants. "It's...

Saudi calls for info sharing.(Briefly Noted)(50 countries established task force to control terrorism)(Brief Article)
February 22, 2005... SAUDI CALLS FOR INFO SHARING. The United States, Great Britain, and more than 50 other countries have established a task force to study the creation of an international counter-terrorism center proposed by Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdul...

Hottest field: security.(Briefly Noted)(federal government hiring push in the security field )(Brief Article)
February 22, 2005... HOTTEST FIELD: SECURITY. The federal government will make the biggest hiring push in the security field over the next two years, according to "Where the Jobs Are: The Continuing Growth of Federal Job Opportunities." Conducted by the Partnership...

The missile protection too expensive.(Briefly Noted)(airliners protection cost against missiles threat)(Brief Article)
February 22, 2005... MISSILE PROTECTION TOO EXPENSIVE. The $11 billion initial outlay and $2.1 billion annual cost of equipping airliners with anti-shoulder-fired-missile systems is not cost-effective because "resources for homeland security are limited," according...

The European Commission.(Grants & Contracts)(European Security Research Programme)(Brief Article)
February 22, 2005... THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION (EC) has issued a call for proposals in the next phase of its European Security Research Programme, which will be the basis for all security-related research in support of European Union policies. The EC expects to...

Community research associates.(Grants & Contracts)(Community Research Associates Inc, training contracts)(Brief Article)
February 22, 2005... COMMUNITY RESEARCH ASSOCIATES, INC. (CRA), Alexandria, Va., has won three contracts to support state homeland security efforts. Under a $3.5 million two-year contract with the Commonwealth of Virginia Department of Emergency Management, CRA...

The Maritime administration.(Grants & Contracts)(maritime security professionals training)(Brief Article)
February 22, 2005... THE MARITIME ADMINISTRATION has contracted with Det Norske Veritas, a quality standards system organization, to evaluate and certify training courses for maritime security professionals. This voluntary certification program provides two-year...

Box office disaster: help or hindrance in public emergency preparedness?
February 22, 2005... After a brief, somber pause, the post-9/11 popularity of disaster movies has increased to the point that Hollywood has created an acronym: VSDM--"very special disaster movie." This new genre plays just as well as a made-for-TV movie or series...

CDC vs. Hollywood: agency posts small pox facts to counter fiction.(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
February 22, 2005... Fictional movie plots about smallpox have led the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to establish a Fact or Fiction website. "Because of the immediacy of the film medium, scientific and medical facts have to be dramatized, leaving...