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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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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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Saab wins disaster communications contest
Danish government lauds the Tacticall system for its cheap and portable solution to interoperability problems
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Homeland security comes to live and on-demand TV
On-demand TV can now be used not only for HBO specials, but also for homeland security programming
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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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GPS tracking devices as moral hazard
First American to climb Everest comes out against an Oregon law requiring mountaineers to carry signalling devices
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"Crisis management" or "incident management"?
A veteran of the British Standard for Business Continuity Management process explains why companies should prefer the former
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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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Germans publish rogue wave atlas
Sensor-based instraments prove incapable of measuring these unpredictable forces; near-sinking of the Bremen may have spurred interest in SAR satelite approach; high risk zones identified
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Oracle shows GRC suite to compete with SAP
The field of corporate governance, risk, and compliance is growing, and application giant Oracle wants a piece of the action; the company acquires Stellent, a contents management specialist, and is getting set to compete with market-domianting SAP
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NIST: Search and rescue robots suffer communications problems
In a report mirroring concerns about UAVs and EOD drones, NIST says that urban search and rescue robots too often interfere with each other’s communications; neither ISM bands or established protocols solve the problem
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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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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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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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The long view
Machine Learning Could Predict Rare Disastrous Events Like Earthquakes or Pandemics
Researchers suggest how scientists can circumvent the need for massive data sets to forecast extreme events with the combination of an advanced machine learning system and sequential sampling techniques.
Americans Are Flocking to Wildfire
People are trading hurricane zones for wildfire areas, says national study of migration, natural disasters, and climate change.
Insurance for a Changing Climate
Among the many facets of the economy being challenged and changed by warming global temperatures is the insurance industry. Damaging extreme events such as wildfires, hurricanes, and floods are happening with greater frequency and intensity, which leaves insurance companies facing larger financial risks and paying out more in claims — and it also leaves policy holders paying higher prices to insure their homes and businesses.