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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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ESi signs OEM deal with MIR3 for disaster notification technology
New product will be called ESi WebEOCAlert powered by MIR3; deal gives ESi improved notification capabilities, including communication by email and PDA and post-disaster auditing capabilities
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Northrop Grumman signs emergency communications deal with NYC
Agreement will provide radio interoperability alongside data transmission capabilities; emergency responders will have access to anti-terrorism databases, fingerprints, mug shots, city maps, and streaming video; subways and urban canyons presented major technical challeges
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CA state audit finds $239 million in unspent DHS grants at risk
Slow reimbursements to municipalities prevent many from participating; twelve out of thirteen grants examined marred by fraud and irregularities; governor’s report to legislature now seven months late
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Three cities show off government continuity procedures
Arlington, St. Louis, and New York lead the way by emphasizing data recovery and commmunications interoperability; trend shows cities outdoing state and federal continuity planners
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Lobbyists resist homeland security measures recommended by 9/11 Commission
Farmers fight off ammonium nitrate controls; television station opposes handing over frequency for emergency services; retailers stick to their guns on radiological screening of containers
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CoCo Communications unveils new radio interoperability system at Dallas airport
Revolutionary product brings old and new technologies together; deal with Southwest Airlines first system to incorporate private industry; PDAs coordinate with radio networks to manage communications, watch surveillance video in real time; low price and easy roll-out makes system ideal for cash-strapped and wealthy municipalities alike
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Sarasota County, Florida sets the standard for municipal networking collaboration
Nearly each of America’s 10,000 cities and counties buys its own networking systems, leading to gross waste and inefficiency; in Sarasota County, planners work within and without to share broadband and IT staff; big benefit seen for underfunded public schools, data storage facilities
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DHS release report on Operation Cyber Storm
DHS’s report on a large-scale simulated attack on U.S. government and critical infrastructure assets offers mixed results; no grades were assigned to specific performances, but the over-all impression is that the government’s — and industry’s — response to such an attcak could be much improved
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New book suggests IT security managers look within for threats
“Enemy at the Water Cooler” looks at consultants, vendors, and former employees as threats; greed and disgruntledness common motives for treachery
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Juniper Network hosts business continuity Webcast tomorrow
Speakers include officials from DHS, state of California, and ICG Government
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The long view
Strengthening School Violence Prevention
Violence by K-12 students is disturbingly common. Ensuring that schools have effective ways to identify and prevent such incidents is becoming increasingly important. Expanding intervention options and supporting K-12 school efforts in Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management (BTAM) would help.
Huge Areas May Face Possibly Fatal Heat Waves if Warming Continues
A new assessment warns that if Earth’s average temperature reaches 2 degrees C over the preindustrial average, widespread areas may become too hot during extreme heat events for many people to survive without artificial cooling.
Trump’s Cuts to Federal Wildfire Crews Could Have “Scary” Consequences
President Donald Trump’s moves to slash the federal workforce have gutted the ranks of wildland firefighters and support personnel, fire professionals warn, leaving communities to face deadly consequences when big blazes arrive this summer. States, tribes and fire chiefs are preparing for a fire season with minimal federal support.