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UC Irvine developing wireless emergency response backpack
University of California Irvine developing response system which may revolutionize the communication capabilities and productivity of first responders in the field
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DHS distributes ICRI interoperable communication system to 43 communities
DHS is making a point of helping small and resource-poor communicates equip their emergency and first-response forces with interoperable communication gear; in the latest round, DHS has distributed interoperable equipment from Virginia-based C-AT to 43 communities
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TekMethods does one thing right – ITAM
A business continuity company says: “We Do One Thing Right” (they mean IT Asset Management, or ITAM)
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AcXess is now trading publicly
Florida company providing small to mid-size businesses with affordable first class business continuity solutions is now being traded publicly
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Australia’s government assists businesses in pandemic planning in new business continuity guide
Their first guide in May was to prepare medically for the bird flu; now the government has released a preparations guide specifically for the business sector in response to the possibility of an avian flu pandemic
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Europeans to develop pan-European risk management solution
A major oil spill off the shore of Spain four years ago proved that lack of coordination and cooperation among European nations in meeting disasters only worsened the disaster; 16 European companies are trying to do something about it
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U.S. updates national emergency broadcast system
In 1951 President Harry Truman launched a national emergency radio broadcasting system aiming to alert Americans in the event of a Soviet nuclear attack on the U.S.; that system, thankfully, was never used, but President Bush has now ordered its upgrading so it could be used to broadcast warnings about national emergencies to Americans’ PDAs, cellular phones, Web sites, e-mail boxes, TV, and radio
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Enabler of first responders information sharing receive $12.5 million
Few problems hobble first responders more than communication interoperability; a company developing an interoperability solution catches the eyes of investors, and rightly so
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KPMG survey reveals industry-specific business continuity plans needed in Australia
As Australia emerges as a leader in homeland security, KPMG suggests an issue the country may want work on: industry-specific business continuity plans
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CA acquires XOsoft
The acquisition of disaster recovery company XOsoft will expand Computer Associates’s data protection services
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U.S. State Department’s computers hacked
State Department computers were attacked, but it is only revealed that the problem was not a computer virus
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Disaster reduction competition accepts nominations
The UN is holding the 20th disaster reduction competition, and to encourage more applicants to submit their proposals, it has opened the submission process a year ahead of time
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Jefferson Parish schools receives backup from Dell
Redundancy: The new word the year — or at least during hurricane season — for Jefferson Parish’s public school system; Dell is helping the parish build a better system that will withstand any future disasters by sending important data to be stored in off-site locations
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China’s new law for the media during emergency response
Chinese media must now have permission from local governments before reporting on the developments and handling of anything deemed a disaster by the Chinese government
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Engineering partnership in $750 million FEMA housing inspection contract
FEMA has awarded a new $750 million contract to a joint engineering venture to provide housing inspection services — on short notice — to the U.S. government in areas affected by disasters
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More headlines
The long view
Using Drone Swarms to Fight Forest Fires
Forest fires are becoming increasingly catastrophic across the world, accelerated by climate change. Researchers are using multiple swarms of drones to tackle natural disasters like forest fires.
How Climate Change Will Affect Conflict and U.S. Military Operations
By Doug Irving
“People talk about climate change as a threat multiplier,” said Karen Sudkamp, an associate director of the Infrastructure, Immigration, and Security Operations Program within the RAND Homeland Security Research Division. “But at what point do we need to start talking about the threat multiplier actually becoming a significant threat all its own?”