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Virginia asks emergency responders to use common language
Approach takes HSPD-5 and NIMS requirements seriously by asking agencies to abandon 10-codes; confusion often resulted during inter-agency responses due to different associated meanings
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Emergency communication choices: Part one
We review the utility of landlines, mobile phones, and IT telephony in an emergency; next week we consider conference calling, faxing, paging, and text
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Illinois announces new firefighting grants
Local firehouses may apply for up to $26,000 in funding for equipment; those looking for new trucks, however, should look elsewhere, perhaps to the state’s no-interest revolving loan program
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On business continuity software...
Systems can be effective, but experts warn they require a lot of upfront work; organizing data across divisions takes time and executives must be aware of ongoing upkeep responsibilities
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NIST finds firefighter radios vulnerable to fire
Institute tested three radios under varied temperature conditions; not one survived Thermal Class 2 heat, and all suffered when exposed to Class 1; hope lies in protecting radios inside firefighter gear and reengineering senstive components such as antennas and speakers
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GAO report finds terrorism insurance market deteriorating
Property and casualty insurers find the risks unmangeable; health and workers compensation coverage remains steady; lobbyists on the Hill seek government solution to a market problem; Treasury report expected tomorrow
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TELEHOUSE and Xceedium announce strategic partnership
Deal marries TELEHOUSE’s dedicated data centers and collocation facilities to Xceedium’s remote IT operations management systems
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SustainLane lists safest (and riskiest) cities
When judged according to natural disaster risks, Miami and New Orleans come off the worst; Mesa and Milwaukee are best bet for the anxiety-prone
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SunGard offers Pandemic Response Planning system
Three-part program includes assessment and a simulated pandemic exercise; threat of disease outbreak often mistakenly overlooked by business continuity planners
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PortAuthority Technologies raises $18 million
Protecting sensitive corporate information is essential to business success — just see the length to which the chemical industry has gone to make sure that complying with new chemical plant safety mandates would not make companies’ internal information subject to FOIA; HP’s Patricia Dunn was also worried about leaks of sensitive information when she authorized wiretapping of HP board members; a California company specializing in leak prevention has just raised $18 million
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Richard Barth appointed DHS assistant secretary for policy development
Appointment of Motorola executive should keep interoperability fires burning; telecommunications industry continues to fill critical roles at DHS
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Government plans to provide hazard warning radios to every public school
When a tornado or a hurricane hits, there is a higher risk of loss of life in places where a large number of people congregate — schools, for example; the U.S. government has decided to equip tens of thousands of public schools with emergency radios so that school administration learns early of an impending disaster and usher the students to safety
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Criticism continues of Congressional formula for state terror funds disbursement
If a camel is a horse designed by committee, than the grants DHS gives states for terror preparedness are more a camel than a horse; the reason: The formula for allocating these grants was designed by a committee — a Congressional committee, that is
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Industry lobbyists flood D.C. looking for terrorism insurance relief
Five years after 9/11 Terrorism Risk Insurance Act is set to expire; insurance, real estate, and financial services sectors disagree about correct approach; Bush administration opposes extension, looks for alternatives
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Wick Hill to distribute Array Network's remote access service in Europe
System permits up to 64,000 remote users without a hardware upgrade; Wick Hill will also distribute small business continuity package
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The long view
Revising the Cost of Climate Change
Climate scientists have warned of calamitous consequences if global temperatures continue their rise. But macroeconomists have largely told a less alarming story, predicting modest reductions in productivity and spending as the world warms. Until now. New study of economic toll yields projections ‘six times larger than previous estimates’.
Efforts to Build Wildfire Resilience Are Heating Up
Stanford’s campus has become a living lab for testing innovative fire management techniques, from AI-powered environmental sensors to a firebreak-creating “BurnBot.”
Autonomous Disaster Response Technology Successfully Applied to Fire Extinguishing System of a 3,200-ton Vessel
An innovative technology for autonomously responding, without crew intervention, to ruptures to the pipes within the fire extinguishing system of vessels has been successfully verified for the first time in Korea.
Reducing Vulnerability to Sea-Level Rise in Virginia
As the climate changes and sea levels rise, there is concern that sinking coastlines could exacerbate risks to infrastructure, as well as human and environmental health in coastal communities. The Virginia Coastal Plain is one of the fastest-sinking regions on the East Coast.