• Innovating Firefighting Technology with Smart Solutions to Enhance Urban Resilience

    The increase in high-rise and densely populated urban development has heightened the demand for safety and resilience solutions against emergencies, such as fires. Researchers have created advanced technological solutions to enhance firefighting and urban resilience.

  • How Back-to-Back Hurricanes Set Off a Year of Compounding Disasters for One City − and Alarm Bells About Risks in a Warming World

    Climate change will bring new weather patterns that are beyond emergency managers’ current playbooks, which are filled with protocols honed by past experience. The capacity to adapt will be essential when those playbooks can’t handle compounding disasters that few had imagined.

  • How AI Can Aid Decision Making in Mass-Casualty Events

    EMTs and paramedics are sometimes confronted with a series of life-and-death questions and dilemmas at the scene. Researcher Omer Perry says his team’s study on paramedic behavior during high-stress situations helped them develop a potentially lifesaving algorithm.

  • Nature-Based Solutions to Disaster Risk from Climate Change Are Cost Effective

    Nature-based solutions (NbS) are an economically effective method to mitigate risks from a range of disasters—from floods and hurricanes to heatwaves and landslides—which are only expected to intensify as Earth continues to warm.

  • Is the EU Doing Enough to Prepare for Wildfires?

    Europe faces more intense wildfires due to climate change, prompting the EU to expand its response. Experts stress the need for preventive actions and sustainable forest management.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • Disasters Expo USA: The Latest in Disaster Preparedness and Recovery

    Disasters Expo USA will be held at the Miami Beach Convention Center on 6-7 March 2024. Leading disaster mitigation experts will share with the thousands of participants the latest information and insights on the most innovative, cost-effective, and efficient solutions which aim to help communities prepare for, cope with, and recover from destructive and costly disasters.

  • New Contract Approved by Security Officers Represented by LEOS-PBA Will See Major Wage Increase

    LEOS-PBA has successfully negotiated with Paragon Systems a new contract for union members in upstate New York, a contract which will see the highest wage increase ever given to Paragon Protective Security Officers (PSOs). The contract will see more than 30 percent wage increase over the next three years.

  • New Low-Tech Innovation for Emergency Squad Communication

    Researchers developed a web-based automated dialing solution enabling civil defense units to communicate with each other during emergencies without Internet service. This low-tech ability is critical for times when connectivity is down; for squads comprised of ultra-Orthodox (haredi) Jews, who often do not have smartphones; and for older first responders who may be less technologically savvy.

  • A Drone with Ears

    When a region is hit by a natural disaster, searching for survivors is complex work as buildings and roads may be damaged. The use of drones equipped with daylight cameras and thermal imaging cameras is therefore becoming increasingly widespread – except that if victims are trapped under rubble, they cannot be seen by these imaging sensors. Equipping drones with acoustic sensors allows rescue teams to identify and locate cries for help, clapping, or knocking signals.

  • For First Responders, Communication with Their Teams is Essential

    When a first responder enters a building during an emergency, they count on being able to communicate with their team at all times. Their safety and their ability to carry out the mission relies on knowing they can reach help and support anywhere that they need to go within a structure.

  • A C2SMARTER Way to Reduce FDNY Response Time

    In a pioneering effort to help provide faster life-saving emergency services in areas with high traffic congestion, researchers are leveraging AI technology to analyze and improve emergency vehicle travel times in partnership with the New York City Fire Department (FDNY).

  • New, Portable Antenna Could Help Restore Communication After Disasters

    Researchers from Stanford and the American University of Beirut have developed a lightweight, portable antenna that can communicate with satellites and devices on the ground, making it easier to coordinate rescue and relief efforts in disaster-prone areas.