On 16 November 2018, President Trump signed into law the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Act of 2018. This landmark legislation elevates the mission of the former National Protection and Programs Directorate (NPPD) within DHS and establishes the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). This is the Factsheet released for the new Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.
A computer simulation system called Simulation-Based Decision Support System for Water Infrastructural Safety (DSS-WISE™) Lite can generate maps of inundation scenarios caused by dam or levee failures by calculating the speed at which the water would advance, the depths, and the extent of land and infrastructure it would impact. This system is jointly sponsored by the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Armed with such information, emergency managers can plan for dam/levee breach incidents.
Calling all company-level officers, chief officers, and supervisors who have department-level Emergency Medical Services (EMS) quality assurance/quality improvement responsibilities. This six-day course defines the critical components, background and principles associated with the implementation, or enhancement, of a department’s Quality Management Program. Course openings are available in February 2019, May 2019, and September 2019. Register today!
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced that an emergency use authorization (EUA) has been issued for a rapid, single-use test for the detection of Ebola virus. This is the second Ebola rapid antigen fingerstick test available under EUA, but the first that uses a portable battery-operated reader, which can help provide clear diagnostic results outside of laboratories and in areas where patients are likely to be treated.
The Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) and Sandia National Laboratories are creating more precise drone detection capability through visuals alone. The novel temporal frequency analysis being tested at Sandia analyzes the frequency of pixel fluctuation in an image over time, eventually obtaining a “temporal frequency signature” for videoed drones.
The FY 2018 Fire Prevention and Safety grant application period will open at 8 a.m. ET Monday, 12 November 2018 and will close on Friday, 21 December 2018 at 5 p.m. ET. The Fire Prevention and Safety Grants are part of the Assistance to Firefighters Grants and support projects that enhance the safety of the public and firefighters from fire and related hazards.
FLIR Systems Inc. announced it has been awarded the first option phase on a five-year, cost-plus fixed fee contract by the United States Department of Defense’s Defense Threat Reduction Agency. This option totals $1.2 million for continued development of the FLIR Agentase C2 chemical agent disclosure spray (ADS) for detection of nerve agents and a new formulation for fentanyl detection.
Evolv Technology today announced Evolv Edge™, its people screening system that detects weapons and bombs, has achieved the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) SAFETY Act Designation. Following a rigorous application and due diligence process by DHS, the Evolv Edge is now a Qualified Anti-Terrorism Technology (QATT).
Researchers have identified a compound that strongly inhibits botulinum neurotoxin, the most toxic compound known. That inhibiting compound, nitrophenyl psoralen (NPP), could be used as a treatment to reduce paralysis induced by botulism. Botulinum neurotoxin is considered a potential bioweapon because there is no U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved antidote.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval of the drug Seizalam® (midazolam injection) as an anti-seizure medication, protects Americans from a potentially deadly health effect of chemical weapons. Having this drug, developed by Meridian Medical Technologies, available in multi-use vials makes drug administration easier in emergencies involving a large number of people exposed to chemicals that cause prolonged seizures.
