First response

  • New York overhauls emergency response capabilities post-Irene

    Last week New York Governor Andrew Cuomo proposed a series of major initiatives to bolster the state’s emergency response capabilities; the proposals specifically incorporate lessons learned from the state’s response to Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee

  • London holds massive Olympic security drill

    Last week, in preparation for the London 2012 Olympic Games, more than 2,500 government officials, local police, and emergency responders participated in a two-day long emergency drill that simulated a terrorist attack on the city’s transportation network

  • Demand for Israeli security solutions remains strong -- and is growing

    Homeland Security NewsWire’s executive editor Eugene K. Chow recently spoke with Koby Tanzer, a partner at Indigo Strategic Partners, an investment firm that specializes in the Israeli security and defense sector; in the interview, Tanzer discusses Indigo’s investment philosophy, how the global recession has affected defense and homeland security spending, trends in the global homeland security market, mobile device-based security solutions, and more

  • Raytheon unveils new law enforcement tech center

    Last week Raytheon opened the doors for the first time to its new state of the art law enforcement technology center in Downey, California

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  • Union University bolsters emergency response with GPS 911 system

    In an effort to bolster its emergency response capabilities Union University in Tennessee recently installed an enhanced 911 system

  • 9/11 first responders face three times the cancer rate

    A new study found that 9/11 first responders have been diagnosed with cancer-related illnesses at three times the rate of unexposed workers

  • Compact helmet-display for first responders

    Engineers at Physical Optics Corp. are working with DHS’ Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) to develop a helmet-mounted micro display system for first responders designed to improve their situational awareness

  • Obama unveils plan to hire vets as first-responders

    Speaking at a fire station in Arlington, Virginia, last week, President Obama elaborated on his plans to hire veterans as first responders that he unveiled at the State of the Union Address

  • Satellites help rescuers save 207 people last year

    Thanks to the international network of search and rescue satellites, more than 200 people in remote locations in the United States were saved last year

  • Wireless underground robots for first responders

    First responders may have to look for victims in hostile or challenging environments, such as clandestine tunnels, subway systems, and underground structures; sending a wireless robot to look around and pull victims out would be safer

  • Fort Wayne Mayor dissolves joint homeland security department

    After six years of operation, the joint Fort Wayne-Allen County Homeland Security Department has been dissolved; last week Tom Henry, the Mayor of Fort Wayne, Indiana sent a letter to county officials notifying them of the city’s plans to end its agreement to share in the costs of the local homeland security department

  • Running robots for hard-to-reach places

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    A large fraction of the Earth’s surface remains inaccessible to conventional wheeled or tracked vehicles, while animals and humans traverse such terrain with ease and elegance; scientists are working to develop search-and-rescue robots which emulate animal or human walking, thus making them more capable of saving people in hard-to-reach places

  • First responders could be zipping through skies within two years

    Glenn Martin, the inventor of the Martin Jetpack, the world’s first commercially available jetpack, recently spoke with Homeland Security NewsWire’s executive editor Eugene K. Chow; in their interview Martin discusses the technical challenges of developing a viable jetpack, its uses in emergency response, and when we can expect to see civilians zipping through the skies

  • Smart911 technology improves 9-1-1- response

    Municipalities improve 9-1-1 response with Smart911; the technology allows individuals to use a Web site to enter emergency-relevant information they want emergency personnel answering a 9-1-1 call to have, including children’s photos, medical conditions, disabilities, home addresses of cellphone callers, or other rescue-related information

  • Link found between PTSD, respiratory illnesses in 9/11 responders

    A new study finds that there are links between respiratory illnesses and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in 9/11 first responders; “This study illustrates the integral relationship between mental health and physical diseases that WTC responders suffer,” one of the researcher says