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

Quad City Interoperability Pilot Bolsters Regional Response Capabilities Cooperation & coordination among and between numerous city agencies and the Raytheon Company produce a best-practice example of how the public and private sectors can, and should, pool their resources to upgrade their collective response capabilities. read

Forensic Evidence & Nuclear Radiation: A New Course of Action in the State of Washington FEMT may be hard to pronounce, but it is becoming a key legal and organizational concept in the war against international terrorism, thanks to the forward-looking instructional approach developed and used by the State of Washington's Department of Health. read

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Government Update

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Announces the Release of Snap Shots of State Population Data (SNAPS) SNAPS serves as a valuable tool when responding to public health emergency events at the state, tribal, and local levels. read

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Announces a Blast Injury Fact Sheet for Professionals The fact sheets address background information, clinical presentation, diagnostic evaluation, & management & disposition of blast-injury topics. The fact sheets may be used for the treatment of blast injury patients and/or the training of clinical staff. read

Fact Sheet: Department of Homeland Security End-of-Year Accomplishments Report Read DHS's end-of-2008 report on the department's accomplishments & successes last year in protecting the nation from dangerous people & goods, securing the country's critical infrastructure, strengthening emergency preparedness and response capabilities. read

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Industry Update

Universal Detection Technology (UNDT) Seeks $1.5M for Further Development of the Airborne Bioterrorism Monitoring System UNDT seeks $1.5M to be allocated in three phases to further the development of the BSM-2000 airborne anthrax monitor and to help in the development of a compact, battery-operated, BSM-2000 system intended for use by first responders in the field. read

Simulation Education Services (SES) Announces Regional Interoperative Communications Exercise (RICE) The RICE exercises are functional operations that provide numerous agencies and jurisdictions in a region the opportunity to assess their interoperative communications capabilities and operations. read

Ahura Scientific Increases Library and Language Capabilities of Flagship FirstDefender FirstDefender 2.6.4 - Ahura Scientific has expanded the number of compounds in its on-board chemical library, broadened its foreign language capabilities, and introduced a new scan-delay feature. read

EyeMarker RTD1000 Offers First Non-Invasive Detection of Botulism The EyeMarker RTD1000 is an automated, portable, noninvasive device that in two minutes or less can assess if an individual has been exposed to any of a series of toxins, including botulinium, organophosphate nerve agents, cyanide, & carbon monoxide. read

Phoenix Group of Virginia Inc. Becomes Exclusive Distributor for Life Saving Product The Last Chance Rescue Filter is a one-time-use emergency device that a firefighter can use in the event of an out-of-air emergency. The canister filters out the toxic gases that are typically encountered during a fire. read

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Reports

Project for National Security Reform: State/Local Team Reports Two Report Downloads: (a) Problem Analysis; and (b) Solution Set for Homeland Security read

Ready or Not? 2008: Protecting the Public's Health from Disease, Disasters, and Bioterrorism - A Report from Trust for America's Healthy This report finds that progress made to protect the United States from disease outbreaks, natural disasters, & bioterrorism is at risk because of budget cuts and the economic crisis. The report also includes state-by-state health preparedness scores. read

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Unclassified Report: Copper Thefts Threaten U.S. Critical Infrastructure Copper thefts have increased since 2006 & are currently disrupting the flow of electricity, telecommunications, & transportation as well as water supplies, heating, security & emergency services & therefore present a risk to both public & national safety. read

Government Accountability Office (GAO) Actions Taken to Implement the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006 The information in this letter describes the status, as of 1 August 2008, of actions that the FEMA and DHS have reported as completed or underway to implement the several hundred discrete provisions of the Post-Katrina Act that were identified. read

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State Homeland News

California and Ohio The hospital closures and downsizings that are causing major concerns in Southern California could and should be an advance warning to other states. Indiana closes a difficult communications gap with installation of new multipurpose radio system. read

Florida and North Dakota "Joy Rides" in Florida amusement parks (and elsewhere) could become terrorist targets because of the lethal chemicals stored on-site. Unmanned Predators give North Dakota and other states along the U.S./Canadian border a major new surveillance asset. read

Indiana and Massachusetts Indiana's police & fire departments face double jeopardy in responding to incidents involving illegal "meth" labs. Boston uses new "vaccination map," tested in Fourth of July extravaganza, to prepare for pandemic flu and other mass-casualty incidents. read

Georgia and California Georgia's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport will use non-intrusive millimeter-wave technology to scan future aircraft passengers. Five million Californians register for "diving" exercise in Great ShakeOut earthquake drill. read

Maryland and Texas Budding controversy over potential misuse of new federal biodefense center dedicated at Fort Detrick in Frederick, Maryland. Texas lawmakers seek parity with Louisiana in the federal assistance provided after Hurricane Ike. read

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