Resilience / Recovery

China announces new emergency operations command center
At a cost of hundreds of million of yuan, the new Beijing-based center will coordinate national response planning; satellites will provide constant data feeds; reorganization intended to bring order to a decentralized emergency bureaucracy; 2008 Olympics have Chinese spending freely on security
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War technology lends a hand on Mt. Hood
When T-Mobile’s pinging proves inadequate in finding missing climbers, Iomax brings in precision phone locating kit originally designed to stop IEDs; Aracar supplies rescue UAVs with Afghanistan experience
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DHS survey finds high rates of municipal interoperability
Almost two-thirds use compatible radios for some purpose, though day-to-day use lags; survey is the first to use a refined definition of interoperability; Chertoff points to study as proof that municipalities can change
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HHS to take charge of bioterror and epidemic response
Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act expected to be signed soon; DHS loses control of National Disaster Medical System; new biomedical research lab to be built; government plans a disease detection network
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Hybrid cars pose special risk to first responders
High voltage a major problem; Toyota responds by offering training seminars for firefighters and other emergency personnel
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Frost and Sullivan offers report on WMD detection market
Business is booming, particularly in the federal sector; some end users, however, are shying away from the sometimes unreliable technology; research firm suggests industry needs better PR
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Super Thermal teams up with Colorado State for DHS grant
Team hopes for a $1 million grant for further development of cooling and breathing apparatus; system designed with biological and chemical emergencies in mind; cryogenic air a key component
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DHS inspector general turns up the heat
Arrest and conviction rates for post-Katrina contracting fraud are skryrocketing, even as total complaints decrease; impressive new zealousness strikes fear into the unethical, but the lawyers are happy; DHS has more than 2,500 open cases pending
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NYC unveils new $50 million emergency operations center
New Brooklyn location facility boasts state of the art technology held within environmentally friendly walls; EOC will serve as the hub for the Citywide Incient Management System; full back-up generation a critical feature
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GreeneChip offers rapid diagnosis of 30,000 pathogens
Unlike systems that can only test blood samples, new technology can assay tissue, urine, and stool; from Marburg to urinary tract infections, Columbia University’s GreeneChip offers a fast and inexpensive testing regime
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AMTI to lead TOPOFF-4 exercises
Company defeats Northrop and Lockheed in winning the $24 million contract; planning for the ten day event will take eighteeen months; bid accepted on the strength of AMTI’s presentation, as well as on strong performance in earlier TOPOFF events
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DHS downplays terrorism in new readiness ads
Ready.gov campaign reemphasizes preparedness but lays off fear; new ads take a lighthearted approach to encourage stockpiling food and water
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Radio interoperability costs reach $7 billion for states
High prices deter states and municipalities from moving forward; depressed federal spending certainly does not help; $1.5 billion needed just to upgrade state operations centers
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Air Force frequency jams Denver garage door openers
Emergency band shares frequency with remote control devices; altitude at Cheyenne Mountain means thousands effected; Air Force will try to tweak transmission, otherwise Denverites will have to buy new garage door openers
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Prepared Response to protect Huntington Library
Deal makes a significant foray into the private market; Rapid Responder, company’s crisis management software, already a hit among emergency response agencies
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