First respondersNew first-responder safety, efficiency systems on the way

Two homeland security technologies will be developed jointly by American and Israeli companies to increase the safety and efficiency of first-responders (law enforcement, firefighters and emergency medical services) after getting funding from the Israel-U.S. Binational Industrial Research and Development (BIRD) Foundation.

ELTA Systems (Ashdod, Israel), a group and subsidiary of Israel Aircraft Industries, and TLC Solutions (St. Augustine, Florida) will develop an advanced drone-mounted search-and-rescue system for locating victims under ruins and in disaster areas by accurate location of their cellular phones.

HiRiseTech (Petah Tikva, Israel) and Allstate Sprinkler (Bronx, New York) will develop a first-responder emergency radio repeater system for existing high-rise buildings.

These projects were selected by the US Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate and the Israeli Ministry of Public Security. In addition to the BIRD grants, the two projects will access private sector funding, boosting their total value to approximately $4.5 million.

“Our interactions with the First Responder communities in the U.S. and Israel have revealed a critical need for innovation and affordable technology that can be used in the field,” said BIRD Foundation Executive Director Eitan Yudilevich.

“Our cooperation with the BIRD Foundation serves as a strategic channel for the development and implementation of innovative Israeli technologies for first-responders by improving and advancing their emergency preparedness,” said Gad Frishman, chief scientist of the Israeli Ministry of Public Security.

The BIRD Foundation works to encourage and facilitate cooperation between US and Israeli companies in a wide range of technology sectors and offers funding to selected projects. BIRD has approved 967 projects over its 41-year history.

This article is published courtesy of Israel21c