Fire HAZMAT

Radiation Detection: Dosimeters Plus Common Sense "Thermoluminescent" - that is the futuristic-sounding name, and operational characteristic, of the high-tech radiation dosimeters coming into play to prevent first responders from becoming secondary victims of radiation incidents. read

NIMS Training Plans: An Effort Without End If eternal vigilance is the price of freedom, its twin, eternal preparation, is the price of readiness. And of prevention. And recovery, restoration, and resilience. Relaxation, though, is not even in the vocabulary. read

Public Health

New Radiological Tool Kits Available from CDC A major upgrading of state and local abilities to respond to radiological emergencies is now possible, thanks to CDC's development and production of two new on-the-scene tool kits. read

CDC's Career Epidemiology Field Officer Program The innovative CEFO Program represents a new national resource that is already being used by 21 states to strengthen their own epidemiological preparedness capabilities, with other states sure to follow in the near future. read

Health Systems

Hospital Decontamination: Many Questions, But Few Answers From "two-lane" decon lanes to high-tech detection equipment and personal protective gear, most U.S. hospitals are behind the curve in preparing to deal with mass-casualty decontamination incidents. What can be done about it? read

The Design of the Future U.S. Hospital System U.S. healthcare officials, working in close cooperation with long-range planners & political decision makers, are already pondering what the nation's future hospital infrastructure should look like. Here are some ideas to consider. read

Law Enforcement

Local Emergency Management: The CFATS Challenge The development and promulgation of stringent Chemical-Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards represented a major step forward in U.S. preparedness planning. Adherence to those standards is the next step, and will be a long, steep, and costly process. read

First Responder Credentialing: Still a Secondary Priority State & local agencies set the pace in development of FRAC ID cards to meet HSPD-12 requirements, but incident commanders need additional assistance - and, while waiting, should be advised to keep track of the number of fire trucks at the disaster scene. read

Standards

Standards for Sharing Intelligence and Information It has taken years to remedy the intelligence-sharing deficiencies reported by the 9-11 Commission, but Congress and the President have worked hard to overcome the ignorance and apathy that once were the norm but are now the exception. read

Standards Organizations: A Helpful Road Map for Emergency Responders Where are standards these days? And who (or what agency) decides on them, determines their content, announces and implements them, and - if necessary and permitted by law - enforces them? read

Grants

U.S. Department of Homeland Security Announces Round 7 of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2008 Assistance to Firefighter Grant Awards Round 7 of the FY 2008 AFG awards program provides 62 grants totaling $6.5 million to fire departments throughout the United States. read

New CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Grant Program Extends Health Resources to Residents and Other Community Members Affected by 9/11 Attack CDC announces that $30 million is being made available for a health and medical services program to help people whose health was or may have been adversely affected by the World Trade Center attack. read

Reports

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Tell First Responders: Protect Your Employees with an Exposure Control Plan First responders are easily exposed to blood and other potentially infectious bodily fluids which put them at risk for contracting blood-borne pathogen infections. This guide will help protect responders with a written control plan. read

Government Accountability Office (GAO) Review of the Transportation Security Administration's Air Cargo Screening Exemptions Report TSA's report addresses the five key areas required by section 1602(b) of the Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007 and its methodology was consistent with TSA's mission for the air cargo program. read

University Updates

Eastern Kentucky University College of Justice and Safety Offers a Master of Science in Safety, Security, and Emergency Management - Completely Online Learn from nationally recognized faculty in a flexible online program that can be completed in two years. read

UMUC (University of Maryland University College) Named Fourth Largest Provider of Higher Education to Veterans and Service Members Who Use GI Bill Opportunities "We are excited to be recognized as one of the largest providers of higher education to our nation's service members and veterans," said UMUC President Susan C. Aldridge. read

University of Saskatchewan-Led Team Designs New Vent-Design Lab Researchers at the University of Saskatchewan (U of S) have opened a new engineering lab to design a ventilation system that could protect schools, hospitals, and other public buildings from chemical-warfare and bioterrorist attacks. read

Case Study

Bournemouth Report: The Conference Where Nothing Happened Working in close cooperation with the private sector - Thermo Fisher Scientific, to be more specific - the U.K.'s Dorset Police Department scored what Americans would call a "no hitter" at last year's Labour Party Conference in Bournemouth. read

Resilience Tips

Be Prepared for Floods - Tips from Ready.gov Flooding is the nation's most common natural disaster, so it is very important to always be prepared for flooding no matter where you live. read

CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Launches CDC-TV On-Line Video Resource CDC-TV videos will cover a variety of health, safety, and preparedness topics. The videos are part of CDC's efforts to increase access to information that can help people prevent illness and injury. read

EMS

Dead Reckoning: EMS, Death, and Resource Management The assumption that an accident victim who is not breathing is dead can be a fatal mistake - for the victim. Which is just one of many reasons why so many laws governing the handling of apparent deaths have been enacted by every state in the union. read

Sorting It All Out: Triage, CERT, and EMS Community Emergency Response Team members are often the only medical "reserve" available to a community hit by a mass-casualty incident. But, like the medical professionals they are helping, they face some difficult questions impossible to answer. read

State Homeland News

South Carolina and Virginia South Carolina relies on new SeaHawk ops center to keep port of Charleston up and running in times of crisis. New Virginia Tech study says "not if, but when" in grim new global flu pandemic scenario. read

Indiana and California A multi-victim washdown was a major component of a decontamination exercise at a U.S. post office in western Indiana. Southern California earthquake serves, literally, as a shakedown drill for future and more massive temblors in the foreseeable future. read

Viewpoint

Battlefield Forensics: Rebirth of an Ancient Science Historians see yesterday's battlefields as primary sources for their next scholarly tomes. The modern military sees today's battlefield as an unsifted mountain of intelligence information and, possibly, as evidence in future courtroom proceedings. read

Government Update

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Agencies Protect U.S. Political Conventions DHS agencies work with local authorities at all times to meet their common goal of homeland security, but even more so before and during the Democratic & Republican National Conventions. read

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Announces That Public Health Emergency Law and Forensic Epidemiology Training Courses Are Now Available These self-contained training packages were developed by CDC for use by instructors in any U.S. jurisdiction who provide public health preparedness training to front-line practitioners. read

Industry Update

Advanced Respiratory Protection Training Seminar in Montreal Sponsored by ISRP (International Society for Respiratory Protection) - Americas Section The Americas Section of the ISRP is hosting a 6 October training seminar in Montreal, "Respiratory Protection Issues in Emergency Response and Healthcare," on the most current areas of interest in respiratory protection. read

Hobson Industries Develops Skirt Protection Kit in Record Time The solution had to allow the vehicle to carry out normal duties with a sealed area below the chassis. A development team working around the clock produced the first prototype in three days. read

Virginia Tech Implements New Multi-Media Emergency Notification System From Inova Solutions "OnAlert is a simple, secure way for authorized school officials to issue emergency alerts," said Gerry Gorman, vice president of Inova Solutions. "The wall-mounted LED displays are visible from over 100 feet, inexpensive to install, and easy to operate." read

Coast Guard

Rescue 21 Update: Advanced Comm Capabilities for the New Century The upgrading of Coast's Guard communications capabilities is an achievement of life-and-death importance for those in distress at sea. The Rescue 21 system is now "operationally ready," says USCG Commandant Admiral Thad Allen. read

COTPs Updating Port Plans to Combat Maritime Terrorism U.S. ports and harbors are among the most vulnerable as well as most important targets for would-be terrorists. Protection of the U.S. maritime system is therefore now the primary mission of the Coast Guard's already overtaxed Captains of the Port. read

Emergency Management

Interim Housing Following Disasters: The FEMA Temporary Housing Program The once-maligned Federal Emergency Management Agency displays determination as well as imagination in its innovative plans to provide temporary housing for those suddenly homeless in future times of disaster. read

Backups for Emergency Satellite Communications In today's fast-moving world comprehensive, rapid, & continuing communications are the key to business success - and, in times of conflict, success on the battlefield as well. But what happens if communications systems are destroyed or made inoperable? read

Editor In Chief

Containing the Threat: Eleven Million Challenges CBP falls short in its efforts to start implementing the "100-percent screening" mandate issued by Congress. The issues involved are numerous, costly, and extremely complicated. Nonetheless, failure is not an option. read

Three to Get Ready The could-have/should-have (but did not) scenarios of the past serve as abundant reminders that the cost of national preparedness is only a fraction of the much higher cost that must always be paid for not being prepared. read