Emergency Preparedness News articles from July 2005

Emergency Preparedness News archives from July 2005

Tall buildings aren't big targets.(Slants & Trends)(antiterrorism measures diverts terrorists targets)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2005... TALL BUILDINGS AREN'T BIG TARGETS. So says Chris Parkerson, president of West Coast Executives Services, a security firm in San Diego, Calif., commenting on recommendations from the National Institute of Standards and Technology after three...

Grim lessons learned: better design, technology could save responders.(emergency preparedness)
July 5, 2005... Out of the chaos, destruction, and rubble of 9/11, the Commerce Department's National Institute of Standards and Technology has produced a set of practical recommendations designed to save civilian and responder lives, especially while battling...

New case of BSE reignites calls for downer ban, broader testing.(bovine spongiform encephalopathy)
July 5, 2005... The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently reported what it believes to be the first non-imported case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, found in a cow that was slaughtered in Texas in November. Consumer activist groups criticized the...

Land of milk and terrorists? Security not equal to dairy threat, says NAS.(National Academy of Sciences)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2005... A study criticized by the Bush Administration as a "road map for terrorists" has concluded that security measures for dairy products are not sufficient to guard against terrorist threats. Published online by the National Academy of Sciences...

More intelligence reform on the way to step up WMD threat protection.(weapons of mass destruction)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2005... The Bush Administration has decided to go along with most of the recommendations put out in March by the blue-ribbon Robb-Silberman Commission that examined how effectively the U.S. intelligence community can analyze threats from weapons of...

Nunn: WMDs greatest threat to U.S., nonproliferation, preparedness lagging.(weapons of mass destruction)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2005... "The threat of terrorism with nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction present the gravest danger to our nation and the world," declared former Sen. Sam Nunn, adding that the United States is not doing all it can to avoid its...

Oregon boosts tsunami readiness with audible data warning system.(Regional Alliances for Infrastructure and Network Security)
July 5, 2005... The reality that a deadly tsunami could devastate the U.S. Pacific Coast came into frightening focus last month when a powerful 7.0-magnitude earthquake off Northern California warranted a tsunami warning from the U.S.-Mexico border to...

Dialogic Communications Corp.(Grants & Contracts)(emergency management)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2005... DIALOGIC COMMUNICATIONS CORP. has begun accepting applications for its 2005 Grant Program under which two winners receive free access to the company's web-based notification software for two years, along with training and a software maintenance...

U.S. Department Of Agriculture.(Grants & Contracts)(animal identification system contracts)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2005... U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE is accepting funding applications from state and tribal governments for $14.3 million in grants to continue registering premises for the national animal identification system (EPN, May 17, p. 77). Applicants must...

Federal Railroad Administration.(Grants & Contracts)(Operation Lifesaver Inc.)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2005... FEDERAL RAILROAD ADMINISTRATION has awarded Operation Lifesaver, Inc. a $1 million safety grant for public education and outreach programs to reduce fatalities resulting from highwayrail grade crossing collisions, pedestrian accidents, and...

Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority.(Grants & Contracts)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2005... WASHINGTON METROPOLITAN TRANSIT AUTHORITY has struck a formal purchase agreement with BlastGard International, Tampa, Fla., for 190 MTR blast mitigating trash receptacles. The agreement is valued at $735,000. The receptacles mitigate an...

Health Resources and Service Administration.(Grants & Contracts)(disaster preparedness grants)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2005... HEALTH RESOURCES AND SERVICE ADMINISTRATION has awarded the Maryland Department of health and Mental Hygiene a $186,374 grant to develop a disaster preparedness curriculum and conduct a pilot program to trade clergy in responding to the mental...

A floodplain assessment study.(Responder resources)(http://ny.water.usgs.gov/pubs/of/of051166)(http://ny.waterdata.usgs.gov)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2005... A floodplain assessment study by the U.S. Geological Survey is now available to communities in the upper Delaware River Basin to gauge their flood risk. USGS conducted a high water mark study at 50 sites along streams that were severely...

OnPoint: an online counterterrorism journal.(Responder resources)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2005... OnPoint: An Online Counterterrorism Journal is being offered by U.S. Cavalry, a homeland security supplies and training company headquartered in Radcliff, Ky., as a forum to discuss terrorist tactics and their impact on homeland security. The...

National Preparedness Month.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2005... NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS MONTH. DHS and the American Red Cross are cosponsoring the second annual National Preparedness Month this September to encourage Americans to prepare for emergencies in their homes, businesses, and schools. More than 125...

Fire Corps success.(Briefly Noted)(www.firecorps.org)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2005... FIRE CORPS SUCCESS. Fire Corps, a newly-formed program partner of Citizen Corps, has signed up almost 300 fire departments in its citizen advocates program. Fire Corps aims to recruit citizens who donate their time and talents to support their...

What are our chances?(Briefly Noted)(military weapons proliferation)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2005... WHAT ARE OUR CHANCES? The world faces a more than 30 percent chance of a major chemical or biological attack over the next 10 years, and a 40 percent chance of a dirty bomb attack, according to a survey of 85 top international scholars, policy...

Counterterrorism chief.(Briefly Noted)(National Counterterrorism Center appointed John Scott Redd as director )(Brief Article)
July 5, 2005... COUNTERTERRORISM CHIEF. President George Bush has nominated retired Vice Adm. John Scott Redd, 60, as director of the National Counterterrorism Center (EPN, June 21, p. 91), a post requiring Senate confirmation. Redd was executive director of...

Privacy panel takes shape.(Briefly Noted)(Carol Dinkins nominated as chairperson of Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2005... PRIVACY PANEL TAKES SHAPE. President George Bush has nominated Texas attorney Carol Dinkins to chair the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board, created by last year's intelligence reform bill to ensure that privacy and civil liberties...

Insurance gap, economic risk.(Briefly Noted)(terrorism insurance deficit)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2005... INSURANCE GAP, ECONOMIC RISK. The U.S. insurance system "leaves the nation vulnerable to economic disruption if there is a major terrorist attack," warned a recent RAND Corp. study. Many businesses are not buying terrorism insurance, RAND...

NY Senate on terror insurance.(Briefly Noted)(Terrorism Risk Insurance Act)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2005... NY SENATE ON TERROR INSURANCE. The New York state Senate has passed a resolution calling on Congress to extend Terrorism Risk Insurance Act provisions before they sunset at the end of 2005. Failure to extend TRIA backstops for insurers would...

Former 9/11 commissioners present government preparedness to-do list.
July 5, 2005... The 9/11 Public Discourse Project may not be ready to issue the federal government a final report card on homeland security, but the group has provided a to-do list for earning good grades. The privately- funded 9/11 PDP is composed of former...

Calendar.(Calendar)
July 5, 2005... July 19-21: Performance Measurement for Homeland Security Initiatives, Washington, D.C. The conference presents best practices and lessons learned on how to manage for results in local, state, and federal homeland security programs. Contact:...

Not so fast.(Slants & Trends)(Department of Homeland Security reorganization )(Brief Article)
July 19, 2005... NOT SO FAST... The House and Senate Homeland Security Committees--the Congressional panels with the most DHS oversight muscle--are as anxious as Secretary Michael Chertoff to apply lessons learned since 9/11 to make the department more...

Chertoff unveils reorganization for 'nimble and decisive' DHS.(Michael Chertoff)(Department of Homeland Security)
July 19, 2005... DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff unveiled a reorganization plan last week designed to achieve his number one goal for the department: "base its work on priorities driven by risk" (EPN, April 19, p. 57). Many legislators on Capitol Hill...

Capitol Hill commences effort to put its mark on DHS plan.(Department of Homeland Security)
July 19, 2005... The day after announcing plans to reorganize DHS into a "nimble and decisive" department, Secretary Michael Chertoff took to the Hill to face questions from the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee and the House Homeland...

As terror elevates transit security, bomb-sniffing dogs offer option.
July 19, 2005... Following the terrorist attacks on three London subway locations and a transit bus, the United States has scrambled to beef up security on its own subway, rail, and bus transit systems. With antiterror technology and procedures still evolving,...

GAO to TSA: do explosives homework.(Government Accountability Office)(Transportation Security Administration)(Brief Article)
July 19, 2005... TSA still has not done the necessary homework to determine which explosives detection mechanisms installed at the nation's airports are the cheapest and most effective, according to the Government Accountability Office. TSA was supposed to have...

Saving animals saves their humans, disaster expert advises responders.
July 19, 2005... The Humane Society of the United States has a long history of saving animals, including pets and livestock, caught in natural and manmade disasters. "We've been doing actual field rescues since 1976," Anne Culver, director of disaster services...

CRS report shows chemical plants put millions at risk throughout U.S.(Congressional Research Service)
July 19, 2005... "There are night clubs in New York City that are harder to get into than some of our chemical plants," declared Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) upon releasing a Congressional Research Service report showing that 23 states have at least one chemical...

NRC to assess power plant plans for preparedness drills, info sharing.(Nuclear Regulatory Commission)(Brief Article)
July 19, 2005... Despite declaring that emergency preparedness plans are sufficient, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission is requesting updates from licensed commercial reactor operators on their contingencies for information sharing and protecting plant...

Agro-terror awareness.(online education courses on agro terrorism)(Brief Article)
July 19, 2005... AGRO-TERROR AWARENESS. The University of Kentucky's Injury Prevention and Research Center has teamed with the Department of Agriculture to produce two online agro-terrorism education courses. Originally geared for responders, they have been...

WTC replacement takes 9/11 lessons 'to heart,' say developer, NYC officials.(World Trade Center)(Brief Article)
July 19, 2005... The lessons of 9/11 have been taken to heart in the design for the building that will stand on the site of the World Trade Center, according to New York Governor George Pataki, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, World Trade Center developer...

Argonne National Laboratories.(Grants & Contracts)(Sync Matrix license rights given to All Hazards Management LLC )(Brief Article)
July 19, 2005... ARGONNE NATIONAL LABORATORIES (Department of Energy) has awarded All Hazards Management LLC Denver, Colo., a $5.5 million three-year licensing agreement for worldwide exclusive rights to Sync Matrix, a set of emergency preparedness software...

Department of Transportation.(Grants & Contracts)(Ohio airports financial grants for security enhancement)(Brief Article)
July 19, 2005... DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION has awarded 42 airports across Ohio $23.2 million for capacity and safety enhancement improvements that include lighting and perimeter fencing. Contact: Bill Mosley, DOT, (202) 366-4570, www.dot.gov.

National Science Foundation.(Grants & Contracts)(Ubiquitous Secure Technology financial grants)(Brief Article)
July 19, 2005... NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION plans to award $19 million over five years to the University of California, Berkeley to lead a consortium of colleges called the Team for Research in Ubiquitous Secure Technology. TRUST will study methods of keeping...

Illinois Law Enforcement Alarm.(Grants & Contracts)(Brief Article)
July 19, 2005... ILLINOIS LAW ENFORCEMENT ALARM SYSTEM has awarded $6.7 million in competitive grants from the Law Enforcement Terrorism Preparedness Program, including funding for ICLEAR compatible mobile digital computers. The laptops have touch screens,...

BSI2000 Inc.(Grants & Contracts)(Water Treatment Plant security systems contract)(Brief Article)
July 19, 2005... BSI2000 INC. has been awarded a $400,000 contract by prime contractor Archer Western Contractors Ltd. to provide security enhancements to J.G. Beacham Water Treatment Plant in Athens, Ga., that bring the facility up to DHS-recommended...

Hurricanes ahoy.(Briefly Noted)(buoy stations launched for weather monitoring)(Brief Article)
July 19, 2005... HURRICANES AHOY. Just as the extraordinarily active 2005 hurricane season got underway, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Data Buoy Center, Bay St. Louis, Miss., launched six new weather data buoy stations designed to...

Radars save lives.(Briefly Noted)(Doppler radars installation brings down tornado destruction)(Brief Article)
July 19, 2005... RADARS SAVE LIVES. The $4.5 billion spent by the National Weather Service in the 1990s to install Doppler radars has lowered tornado fatalities by 45 percent and injuries by 40 percent, according to a study published in the June Weather and...

Numbers game, Part 2.(Briefly Noted)(terrorism definition in Bush administration)(Brief Article)
July 19, 2005... NUMBERS GAME, PART 2. The National Counterterrorism Center has come out with its own set of statistics showing that the number of worldwide terror attacks increased fivefold to almost 3,200 in 2004. That number is much higher than the State...

Crash survivability.(Briefly Noted)(black box standards)(Brief Article)
July 19, 2005... CRASH SURVIVABILITY. The Federal Railroad Administration has issued a final rule requiring crash survivability improvements to the "black box" locomotive event recorders. Event recorders must be hardened to prevent loss of data from exposure to...

Border safety bands.(Briefly Noted)(frequency bands additional spectrum for usage)(Brief Article)
July 19, 2005... BORDER SAFETY BANDS. The United States and Canada have agreed to free the use of Frequency Bands 764-776 MHz (TV channels 63 and 64) and 794-806 MHz (TV channels 68 and 69) for public safety systems near the U.S.-Canada border. The extra...

Security and prosperity.(Briefly Noted)(international partnership for security service development)(Brief Article)
July 19, 2005... SECURITY AND PROSPERITY. The governments of the United States, Canada, and Mexico have released the first report of the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America. The SPP identifies cooperative initiatives and work plans designed to...

FEMA director delivered 19-point list on how to fix disaster relief fraud.(Federal Emergency Management Agency)
July 19, 2005... With the Atlantic/Caribbean hurricane season hitting full force, a Congressional investigation has found that FEMA's 2004 disaster relief efforts in Florida had "serious shortcomings [that] allowed taxpayer dollars to be wasted." The Senate...

More money needed for flood map modernization, state manager advises.(Federal Emergency Management Agency fund deficits)(Brief Article)
July 19, 2005... FEMA needs more money if its five-year, billion dollar flood map modernization program is to produce maps that truly reflect flood risk, according to James Williams, co-chair of the Association of State Floodplain Managers Mapping and...