Emergency Preparedness News articles from May 2005

Emergency Preparedness News archives from May 2005

'We think it can be done,'.(Slants & Trends)(Brief Article)
May 3, 2005... 'WE THINK IT CAN BE DONE,' commented an optimistic Daniel Gallington on the subject of hunting down terrorists while preserving privacy rights. Gallington heads a project at Potomac Institute for Policy Studies designed to strike the right...

'Serious gaps' in preparedness.(Slants & Trends)(Brief Article)
May 3, 2005... 'SERIOUS GAPS' IN PREPAREDNESS for a major chemical release--due to an accident or an attack--have been uncovered by the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, according to Chairman and CEO Carolyn Merritt. CSB is an independent...

Exit the MATRIX: the pilot is over, but the privacy debate goes on.(Slants & Trends)(MATRIX communications )
May 3, 2005... The $12 million from the Department of Justice that funded the Multistate Anti-Terrorism Information Exchange has run out. Whether and in what form the MATRIX continues is now up to the four states still connected to the nationwide intranet...

Science and Technology R&D goals emphasize detection, cyber security.(research and development)(Brief Article)
May 3, 2005... Improving physical and cyber monitoring and detection systems is a top R&D priority in protecting the nation's critical infrastructure, according to DHS's Office of Science and Technology policy. The office has released its national plan...

Correction.(Correction Notice)
May 3, 2005... EPN printed the incorrect email address for Katherine Parramore, manager of education at the Disaster Recovery Institute International (EPN, April 19, p. 59). Her correct address is kparramore@drii.org. The institute's correct Web address is...

Bill would mandate terrorist protection plan; amend color-coded advisories.(Terrorism Prevention Plan)(Brief Article)
May 3, 2005... The House Homeland Security Committee has passed a bill authorizing the Bush Administration's fiscal year 2006 DHS budget request (EPN, Feb. 8, p. 19), but calling on the department to take a new approach to planning and funding based on a...

Rail cargo ID seen as key element in rapid hazmat incident response.(Brief Article)
May 3, 2005... Rapid, efficient emergency response is the key to minimizing the impact of hazardous materials release at a railroad accident site, according to Jo Strang, Federal Railroad Administration deputy associate administrator for railroad development....

Court stays D.C. hazmat rail ban; feds slow to act, admits former TSA official.
May 3, 2005... A federal appeals court has stayed the District of Columbia government from enforcing a law that would temporarily restrict movement of hazardous materials by rail. A three-judge panel for the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals ordered D.C. to...

Signs point to federal enforcement of chemical anti-terrorism security.(national security standards for chemical facilities)
May 3, 2005... Signs pointed last week to a growing consensus--even among some members of the chemical industry--that the federal government will need to step in to enforce adequate security at chemical facilities against terrorist attack. "The extent of...

The faster and smarter funding.(Brief Article)
May 3, 2005... THE FASTER AND SMARTER FUNDING for First Responders Act was passed by the House Homeland Security Committee last week. Both HR 1544 and a similar bill in the Senate allocate responder funding based on risk (EPN, April 19, p. 57). Contact: Ryan...

Going by the numbers: debate renews over spinning terror attack statistics.
May 3, 2005... Does the nation need the State Department's terrorism statistics in order to gauge U.S. progress in the war on terror? That is the issue raised late last month when Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice announced the release of the...

New anti-terror tactic: get inside their heads.(Brief Article)
May 3, 2005... Organizational learning can help law enforcement combat terrorism more effectively, according to a study from the RAND Corp. "Knowing how terrorist groups learn is like having a window into the playbook of the opposing team," said Brian...

DHS.(Grant & Contracts)(Department of Homeland Security )(Brief Article)
May 3, 2005... DHS has awarded a total of $17.1 million to three ports under the third phase of Operation Safe Commerce, a program under which federal, state, and local governments and the private sector share best practices and technologies to improve...

DHS has awarded $9.5 million under the Intercity Bus Security Program to support passenger and baggage screening; enhance bus facility security; improve vehicle monitoring, tracking and communication systems; and conduct training and exercises.(Grant & Contracts)(Department of Homeland Security)(Brief Article)
May 3, 2005... DHS has awarded $9.5 million under the Intercity Bus Security Program to support passenger and baggage screening; enhance bus facility security; improve vehicle monitoring, tracking and communication systems; and conduct training and exercises....

DHS science and technology directorate.(Grant & Contracts)(Department of Homeland Security )(Brief Article)
May 3, 2005... DHS SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY DIRECTORATE is seeking applications for summer 2005 research appointments for faculty/student research teams from Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic Serving Institutions, Tribal Colleges and...

TSA.(Grant & Contracts)(Transportation Security Administration)(Brief Article)
May 3, 2005... TSA has begun Phase II of its Airport Access Control Pilot Program to test advanced technologies to control access to the secure areas of airports. The agency will pilot the technologies at five international airports: Boston's Logan (water...

The U.S. Fire Administration.(Grant & Contracts)(Brief Article)
May 3, 2005... THE U.S. FIRE ADMINISTRATION is teaming with the Society of Automotive Engineers to follow up on the study begun in 2003 to mitigate the disorientation of motorists caused by day and night-time use of emergency warning lights. Research will...

NIMS-compliant training.(National Incident Management System)
May 3, 2005... NIMS-COMPLIANT TRAINING. DHS is now requiring Incident Command System training providers to meet National Incident Management System criteria. The NIMS Integration Center has developed a set of guidelines so that training organizations can make...

Responder input needed.(Briefly Noted)
May 3, 2005... RESPONDER INPUT NEEDED. A responder coalition that includes the COMCARE Emergency Response Alliance is moving into the design phase of the Emergency Provider Access Directory. EPAD is a geospacial directory that will serve as the core of a...

Disability planning demanded.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
May 3, 2005... DISABILITY PLANNING DEMANDED. The National Council on Disability has found that the disabled are still largely left out of disaster planning and frequently encounter barriers in shelters, first aid stations, mass feeding areas, portable...

Crash under investigation.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
May 3, 2005... CRASH UNDER INVESTIGATION. Time and a National Transportation Safety Board investigation will tell whether the April 20 crash of a Lockheed P-3B air tanker is related in any way to safety concerns raised last year over the nation's aging fleet...

Manpads threat.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
May 3, 2005... MANPADS THREAT. The Cato Institute has weighed in on the discussion of the threat to commercial aviation from shoulder-fired, anti-aircraft missiles (EPN, March 22, p. 45). An institute report viewed the threat as severe enough to warrant the...

Earthquake tracking technology.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
May 3, 2005... EARTHQUAKE TRACKING TECHNOLOGY. A research team from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego, has employed a novel combination of scientific instruments to study earthquake activity beneath Lake Tahoe....

EMSystem seeks to meet benchmark for 'patient tracking' preparedness.(EMSystem LLC)(EMTrack electronic patient-tracking system )
May 3, 2005... "Patient tracking" is one of the new benchmark requirements for regional emergency preparedness set by the Health Resources and Services Administration. EMSystem LLC, Milwaukee, Wis., has designed a new EMTrack electronic patient-tracking...

Calendar.(Calendar)
May 3, 2005... May 15: Emergency Medical Dispatch Concepts, Jacksonville, Fla. APCO Institute will debut the first in a series of one-day courses, this one presenting the design and implementation of a successful EMD program. APCO one-day courses are designed...

'A much different approach'.(Slants & Trends)(Michael Chertoff )(Brief Article)
May 17, 2005... 'A MUCH DIFFERENT APPROACH' can be expected from Secretary Michael Chertoff than the previous regime when it comes to establishing DHS as the hub of intelligence sharing, predicted former DHS inspector general Clark Ervin. Although intelligence...

DHS still struggling to take command of intelligence sharing leadership role.(Department of Homeland Security)
May 17, 2005... When Congress passed the Homeland Security Act of 2002, it designated DHS as the lead organization to oversee sharing of vital intelligence among agencies involved in terrorism prevention and response. Although DHS has taken steps to fill...

D.C. leaders contend feds leave them 'out of the emergency loop' in crises.(Transportation Inc. v. Anthony Williams )
May 17, 2005... Local officials in the nation's capital received a one-two punch to their preparedness authority over the last two weeks that has left them determined to insert themselves firmly back into the "emergency loop," as a source close to Washington,...

Flashing a warning.
May 17, 2005... FLASHING A WARNING. A new warning signal has been deployed for communicating with aircraft flying within the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area Air Defense Identification Zone/Flight Restricted Zone. Scheduled to begin operating on May 21, the...

Federal smart card standards improve security, interoperability specifications.
May 17, 2005... The federal government has come around to adopting standards for its smart card identification that embrace those already widely accepted throughout the industry, according to a leading technology group. Such was not the case when NIST...

House passes risk-based funding; 9/11 leaders praise 'significant step'.(First Responders Act of 2005 )(Brief Article)
May 17, 2005... The House has passed the Faster and Smarter Funding for First Responders Act of 2005 (H.R. 1544), inspiring applause from former 9/11 Commission leaders and moving DHS grants ever closer to being awarded based primarily on risk. "In our...

Machine-readable passports: a must for VWP travelers beginning June 26.(Visa Waiver Program)(Brief Article)
May 17, 2005... Travelers from all Visa Waiver Program countries must have a machine-readable passport as of June 26 to enter the United States without a visa, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Although Oct. 26, 2004, was the official...

House punishes DHS 'unaccountability' by cutting, withholding FY06 funding.(Department of Homeland Security)(Brief Article)
May 17, 2005... Irritated at the lack of responsiveness from DHS to Congressional requests for information, the House has cut almost half a billion dollars from the department's fiscal year 2006 appropriations bill (H.R. 2360). "No information equals no...

USDA unveils Draft Animal ID System; privacy, funding concerns continue.(United States Department of Agriculture)(National Animal Identification System)
May 17, 2005... The U.S. Department of Agriculture has unveiled its draft proposal and timeline for the National Animal Identification System, designed to track the location of cows and other livestock within 48 hours of a disease outbreak. Even as they...

The Department of Health and Human Services.(Grants & Contracts)(Anthrax Vaccine Absorbed)(Brief Article)
May 17, 2005... THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES has awarded a $122.7 million contract to BioPort Corp., Lansing, Mich., for the manufacture and delivery of five million doses of Anthrax Vaccine Absorbed, a licensed anthrax vaccine. HHS is...

The U.S. Coast Guard's Research and Development Center.(Grants & Contracts)(Brief Article)
May 17, 2005... THE U.S. COAST GUARD'S RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT CENTER has awarded a $3.3 million contract to BAE Systems, Burlington, Mass., to build the SeeCoast Port and Coastal Scene Awareness Prototype and Demonstration System. BAE will integrate radar...

DHS office of state and local government coordination and preparedness.(Grants & Contracts)(Department of Homeland Security)(Brief Article)
May 17, 2005... DHS OFFICE OF STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT COORDINATION AND PREPAREDNESS has awarded VivoMetrics, Ventura, Calif., and Storm King Mountain Technologies, Camarillo, Calif., a $748,699 contract to collect physiological data during 500 wildland...

The interior department's minerals management service.(Grants & Contracts)(Brief Article)
May 17, 2005... THE INTERIOR DEPARTMENT'S MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE has awarded six contracts totaling $600,000 for studies on Hurricane Ivan's impact on the structures and pipelines of oil and gas operations in the Gulf of Mexico. Results may prompt changes...

Responder resources.
May 17, 2005... The Cost Saving Calculator, created by the National Volunteer Fire Council, is a program that uses individual variables entered by each fire department to determine the economic value of responders to their communities. Designed as a lobbying/...

Natl. Hurricane Week.(Briefly Noted)
May 17, 2005... NATL. HURRICANE WEEK. President George Bush has declared May 15-21 as National Hurricane Preparedness Week, with an emphasis on calling attention to planning ahead and securing homes and property in advance of storms. Contact: FEMA "Hurricane...

Smuggling nukes.(Briefly Noted)(radiation detection equipment to foreign seaports)(Brief Article)
May 17, 2005... SMUGGLING NUKES. The Department of Energy has had "limited success" in implementing its Megaports Initiative to deploy radiation detection equipment to foreign seaports that are deemed highly attractive to nuclear smugglers, according to the...

China gets onboard.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
May 17, 2005... CHINA GETS ONBOARD. The Chinese port of Shanghai has become the 36th port to join the U.S. Customs and Border Protection's Container Security Initiative (EPN, April 19, p. 63). Shanghai customs officials, working with CBP officers, will target...

Liability relief.(Briefly Noted)(Department of Homeland Security regulations)(Brief Article)
May 17, 2005... LIABILITY RELIEF. DHS has "not fully succeeded in exploiting" legislation limiting the liability of companies that create anti-terrorism technology, Secretary Michael Chertoff told the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Promising to step up such...

Whistleblower case dismissed.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
May 17, 2005... WHISTLEBLOWER CASE DISMISSED. The U.S. Court of Appeals for D.C. has dismissed the case of FBI whistleblower Sibel Edmonds in a one-line order with no explanation. The order upholds a lower court ruling supporting the Department of Justice's...

Repellent update.(Briefly Noted)(Picaridin and oil of lemon eucalyptus are effective mosquito repellents)(Brief Article)
May 17, 2005... REPELLENT UPDATE. Picaridin and oil of lemon eucalyptus have taken their place beside DEET as active ingredients that are effective mosquito repellents, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The announcement came as...

West Nile progress.(Briefly Noted)(National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases )(Brief Article)
May 17, 2005... WEST NILE PROGRESS. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases has announced progress on two fronts in preventing and treating West Nile virus. NIAID has begun a clinical trial on an experimental vaccine that contains the gene...

Court safety advocates want a place at the natl. homeland security table.
May 17, 2005... States should dedicate between one and three percent of their homeland security funding to protect the court system, according to the National Center for State Courts. "This is a nominal percentage and in no way do we want to compete with law...

A directory of training programs.
May 17, 2005... A DIRECTORY OF TRAINING PROGRAMS that are offered by state, county, and local emergency response agencies and that follow FEMA Community Emergency Response Team guidelines can be downloaded for free at...