SubscribeDoD: No ‘appalling’ readiness gap
February 2, 2008
“The Defense Department on Friday rejected the conclusion in a congressionally chartered commission’s report that there is an “appalling gap” in the nation’s ability to respond to nuclear, chemical or biological attack.” (Navy Times)
Doomsday 101 - If disaster strikes, Columbus will respond with new, high-tech gear and old-school detective work
January 24, 2008
“Franklin County Coroner Brad Lewis lies in wait with his $57,000 atomic absorption spectrometer. Should a large group of people mysteriously fall dead in Columbus, the spectrometer would tell him if a chemical agent was to blame. It’s part of a network of hundreds of leaders and first responders who are on call if all hell breaks loose here in the heartland.
Since Sept. 11, 2001, Franklin County and its regional partners have invested more than $37.5 million in planning, equipment and training exercises for its police, fire and other regional first responders.” (The Other Paper)
FEMA reaquires disaster authority under new Homeland Security framework
January 23, 2008
“In the first overhaul of the nation’s emergency response system since Hurricane Katrina, government officials announced Tuesday that the Federal Emergency Management Agency will once again take the lead role in disaster response and that it will use an amenable, computer-driven doctrine to coordinate federal, state, and local resources.” (Nola)
Bush to Make Smaller Security Fund Cuts
January 18, 2008
“The Bush administration will cut counterterrorism money for police, firefighters and rescue departments next year, but not by as much as it originally proposed.
Next month the White House will request $2.2 billion to help states and cities protect against terrorist attacks in 2009, and not $1.4 billion, an administration aide told Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., on Friday. That would be 10 percent more than the president requested for 2008, but 40 percent less than Congress gave the department this year.” (AP)
Pa. homeland security spending lacked focus, oversight
January 13, 2008
“Pennsylvania has done a poor job overseeing hundreds of millions of dollars in federal homeland security grants, making it hard to evaluate if the spending has improved the state’s disaster-response capabilities, three reports found.
The reports said record-keeping has been so inadequate that state emergency officials, who must approve local requests for the money, cannot say whether equipment that has been purchased is still in use or where it is. More than $400 million in federal money has been committed to Pennsylvania since Sept. 11, 2001. About half has been spent, the bulk of it on equipment.” (Daily American)
Firefighters awarded Homeland Security grant
January 11, 2008
“A grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security will allow the Hampton Fire Department to obtain an expensive Chemical Detection Kit.
The department was the only fire agency in the state to be awarded the Commercial Equipment Direct Assistance Program (CEDAP) grant.” (Seacoast Online)
Security Pros Gather for ‘Putting First Responders First’ Conference
January 9, 2008
“The Science and Technology Directorate of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security will join officials and researchers from across the nation and around the globe Jan. 14–17 at the Los Angeles Convention Center for “Putting First Responders First,” the 2008 Homeland Security S&T Stakeholders Conference West.” (OHS Online)
DHS Gives $33.7 Million to First Responders
January 9, 2008
“Just in time for the holidays, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security last week announced the award of $33.7 million to fund equipment and training for first responders across the nation as a part of the fiscal year 2007 Commercial Equipment Direct Assistance Program (CEDAP). Since the program’s inception in 2005, DHS has provided roughly 5,800 direct assistance awards worth more than $103 million for all hazards in smaller jurisdictions nationwide.” (OHS Online)
Emergency responders face deep aid cuts
December 1, 2007
The Bush administration intends to slash counterterrorism funding for police, firefighters and rescue departments across the country by more than half next year, according to budget documents obtained by The Associated Press. The Homeland Security Department has given $23 billion to states and local communities to fight terrorism since the Sept. 11 attacks, but one document says the administration is not convinced that the money has been well spent and thinks the nation’s highest-risk cities have largely satisfied their security needs. (Yahoo News/AP)
Firefighters Held Up At Border Trying To Reach Fire
November 14, 2007
Firefighters from Quebec said they were held up at the Rouses Point border crossing while trying to provide mutual aid to firefighters battling flames at the Anchorage Inn Sunday.Lacolle and St. Paul fire officials said several members of their squad didn’t have proper photo identification and were held up for close to 15 minutes while trying to reach the fire. Fire officials also said border agents inspected some of the fire trucks.Clinton County fire officials said they called Customs and Border Protection to let them know firefighters would be crossing from Canada, but the crews were still held up. (WPTZ)