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Sources say DHS will be flexible on interoperability grants
With $1 billion soon to be unleashed, DHS says it will support the unfavored 800 MHz band; NTIA argues grants can only be used for technology and equipment
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Saab wins disaster communications contest
Danish government lauds the Tacticall system for its cheap and portable solution to interoperability problems
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AIG launches terrorism insurance unit
With the extension of the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act still under discussion, AIG moves into a business its former chief threatened it would abandon
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NYC lags behind in firefighter equipment
Fire department lacks efficient pre-planning and command software; Critical Information Dispatch System offers only 160 characters of text; accurate building maps remain a low priority
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USDA awards $415,000 in weather radio grants
More than 100 sites have received assistance in connecting to the Weather Radio All Hazards early warning system
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New modular search and rescue robot
Small robots operate independently but can be combined into a single unit; Hamburg researchers offer solution to communications problems among USRs
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New life in the air raid siren market
Mass notification systems receive $1 billion in DHS budget; Acoustic Technology, Federal Signal, and others jump into the market; interoperability with other security systems the key
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Oak Ridge scientist develops anti-berrylium dust-rag
Special coating seen as a cure for industrial inhalation problems, and technology may eventually aid in large-scale radiation clean-ups; Y-12 National Security Complex conducts tests but needs help bringing it to market;
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SAFEXIT offers intriguing building escape system
Easily attached to existing buildings, pulley and harness system carries evacuees down at 3.3 feet per second; devices is attached to a door frame and automatically deploys when an alarm sounds
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EarthData International maps Mississippi flood planes
Company’s high resolution orthoimagery helps contractors and local planners make rapid decions; mapping program is funded by the Mississippi Development Authority with a HUD grant
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DHS releases $194 million in emergency management grants
States can use the money for equipment, training, and salaries; California, Texas, and New York are the big winners
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Emergency official suspended for asasaulting photographer
Columbia County, New York coordinator George Sharpe earns a thirty-day rest after attempting to destroy images of a pandemic response drill; HSDW demands a more creative punishment
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UC Davis scientists use bacteria to fight earthquake liquification
Application of Bacillus pasteurii during or after construction creates a shell of calcium carbonate around sand grains; approach avoids use of dangerous chemicals; funding required for larger studies
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Interoperability fund struggles to get off the ground
Congressional Research Service dings DHS for failing to reach a memorandum of understanding with the National Telecommunications and Information Administration; a 30 September deadline looms, and security officials worry about 2008 budget cuts
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FEMA seeks applicants for National Advisory Council
Council will advise FEMA administrator on the national preparedness goal, the national preparedness system, the National Incident Management System, and the National Response Plan; resumes due 9 March
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