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U.S. BioDefense gains total control of EDS
U.S. BioDefense expands its services by gaining 100 percent control of EDS; the acquisition works well for EDS as well as the emergency preparedness and disaster recovery industry is expected to spend billions in 2007
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California prepares all-in-one business recovery and continuity plan
Hurricane Katrina was a great example of the need for states to have their own continuity plans; California has learned the lesson from the Gulf Coast region and is preparing to secure its own critical infrastructure in an all-in-one plan
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Memex offers information gathering solution to JRIC
Intelligence is important, and this is why Memex is providing an interoperable intelligence management system to the JRIC, a multi-agency terrorism and crime fighting unit
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VivoMetrics LifeShirt offers answers about firefighters; helps in setting standards
Some two decades ago, as women fighting for equal rights wanted to become firefighters, there were questions raised (mostly by men) about women’s physical ability to cope with the demands of the profession; a California company now offers a way scientifically and accurately to answer many questions about firefighters’ ability to cope with the stress and rigor of the job – and also help in setting training and safety standards for the profession
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Rotor-less helicopter holds promise for rescue missions
Israeli company designed a rotor-less helicopter which should be of great interest to first responders: Because the helicopter does not have a rotor, it can attach itself to a building’s window and have the people inside climb through the window directly into the hovering helicopter outside
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ImageWare Systems launches IWS Disaster Management solution suite
One of FEMA’s Katrina-related failures has to do with the massive fraud — worth more than $1 billion — perpetrated by thousands of people against the agency’s Katrina relief fund; ImageWare offers a solution to reduce such fraud in the wake of future disasters
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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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More headlines
The long view
Evaluating U.S. Readiness to Prevent, Counter, and Respond to WMD
Two new reports review the adequacy of U.S. strategies to prevent, counter, and respond to the threat of nuclear and chemical terrorism and highlight the strengths and limitations of U.S. efforts to prevent and counter threats from weapons of mass destruction (WMD), particularly in a changing terrorism threat landscape.
'Hybrid’ Disaster Response Shows How Localization Saves Lives
The earthquake that struck southwest Haiti in August 2021 killed thousands of people and left more than half a million seeking help. New research by a University of Notre Dame expert finds that the assessment of this disaster can serve as a model for evaluating future disasters and making life-saving improvements.
Texas Flooding Brings New Urgency to Houston Home Buyout Program
The San Jacinto River is a national hotspot for ‘managed retreat,’ but recent floods show how far local officials still have to go.