Public Safety Content
U.S. making progress in preparing for external threats and natural disasters
FEMA and its partners recently released the 2012 National Preparedness Report (NPR). The report included a number of findings....
Fearless fire crews need to do more risk/gain analysis
Experts believe that the fire service's bravado-steeped culture is a leading factor in the serious injuries and deaths that routinely are suffered by firefighters in the line of duty....
Pointers on safe TASER dart removal
Scott Harris, an occupational health and risk management consultant at UL PureSafety, offers safety tips on TASER dart removal...
Foiled bomb plot shows need to build anti-terror capabilities
The foiled bomb plot in Cleveland demonstrates that the U.S. should continue to build its capabilities to combat all terrorist threats and thwart plots long before the public is in danger....
New technologies and alliances in fire equipment
Before I even set foot on the Fire Department Instructors Conference exhibit floor last week, I had heard the buzz about changes in the fire truck industry....
Profiler has tips on detecting potential arsonists
To help fire chiefs and the community recognize the motives behind an arsonist, Pamela Kulbarsh, RN, BSW, a psychiatric nurse located in Arizona, offers a profile of those who use fire to do harm. Kulbarsh has been a psychiatric nurse for more than 25 years and has worked in patrol with officers and deputies as a member of San Diego's Psychiatric Emergency Response Team and at the Pima County Detention Center in Tucson....
New Jersey first responders can deliver real-time alerts
Mobile users who subscribe to the free Nixle Connect emergency alert service now can receive real-time alerts from the New Jersey State Police and the New Jersey Office of Emergency Management. The alerts, which are sent by Nixle on behalf of 4,800 U.S. government agencies, include emergency alerts, reports of missing persons (including AMBER Alerts), traffic incidents with extended delays, crime information, safety tips, community outreach programs, and other public-safety information....
Governments: boost your cybersecurity efforts
Sluggish moves to counter the rising threat of cyber-attacks can be blamed on a generation of policymakers out of touch with rapid technological change, a senior U.S. official said Monday. "The truth is there are a lot of senior officials in many countries who barely even know how to use an email," Rose Gottemoeller, U.S. acting under-secretary for arms control and international security, said during a visit to Estonia....
Fire departments can apply to get free DuPont gear
DuPont Protection Technologies and Globe Manufacturing are working with the National Volunteer Fire Council to donate 125 sets of gear in 2012 to deserving fire departments....
When to update or replace fire equipment
In this blog post, the author offers views from officials at several equipment manufacturers. The topics: when to refurbish fire apparatus and engine regeneration. ...
Seeking a public sector job? Be ready to turn over your Facebook password
Government workers, especially in law enforcement, are being asked to turn over their Facebook login information so that prospective employers can check for inappropriate photos, relationships or behavior....
Timetable taking shape for national public safety broadband net
It could be at least a year before construction on the nationwide, 700 MHz LTE network for public safety begins, because the governance and planning work for the massive project must be completed first, according to an official for the National Telecommunications and Information Administration....
Diversity remains a challenge in the fire service
Considering that four out of five firefighters in the U.S. are white males, it seems clear that diversity remains an enormous challenge for the fire service. It's time to move this important issue off the back burner....
GovSec 2012: It’s all about securing and protecting
Combating terrorism and cybercrime, as well as critical infrastructure protection, will be the focus of the 11th annual Government Security Expo & Conference (GovSec) featuring the U.S. Law Enforcement Conference & Exposition. The event, which includes attendees in law enforcement, government administration and technology, takes place at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington from April 2-4. ...
First responders get needed spectrum and network funding
In a room filled with smiles, plaudits and good-natured ribbing, many key members of the public-safety community this past Monday celebrated its unlikely political victory that resulted a new law that secured the 700 MHz D Block spectrum for first responders and $7 billion in funding to help pay for a nationwide broadband network....
Revenue grew in 2011 for half of government contractors
During the past year, revenue from government contracts grew for 50 percent of contractors, while 21 percent experienced no significant change and 29 percent experienced reductions in revenue, according to the 17th Annual Government Contractor Industry Survey. ...
$1 billion trimmed from 2012 DHS preparedness grants
The DHS recently released the FY 2012 guidance and application kits for seven grant programs that support the National Preparedness Goal. Grants total more than $1.3 billion, a reduction of nearly $1 billion from FY 2011 and $1.5 billion below President Obama’s FY 2012 request....
NRPA gets grant to assist disabled military and veterans
The National Recreation and Park Association has been awarded Parks: Return and Restore grant funding. U.S. Paralympics, a division of the U.S. Olympic Committee, announced the award....
Discounted merchandise available online for military and government families
Here is another way for budget-conscious public employees to pinch pennies. GovX.com is an online shopping destination that enables military, law enforcement and related government personnel and their families to buy lifestyle products and on-duty tactical gear directly from manufacturers at below-retail prices....
Report looks at the consequences of widespread obesity among firefighters
The rate of firefighter obesity outpaces the national average with about 73% to 88% cases in the fire service, so found a National Volunteer Fire Council and U.S. Fire Administration–funded obesity report. HOPE Health Research Institute conducted the report on behalf of the NFVC and USFA to document the causes of obesity in the fire service and provide action steps to reverse the potentially life-threatening trend....
Alabama community gets digital radio system
The Montgomery Metro Communications Cooperative District in Montgomery County, Ala., has awarded Harris Public Safety & Professional Communications with a $7.3 million public safety communications contract....
For firefighter safety, cities must tear down abandoned structures
Cities are starting to place stronger focus on the threat abandoned buildings pose to firefighters. This emphasis comes at least in part due to lawsuits like the one filed by the family of Chicago Firefighter Edward Stringer, who died in 2010 while searching for possible squatters in a vacated dry-cleaning business. ...
Job-stress ranking puts firefighting at No. 2 in stress
A new job-stress report by CareerCast.com found that firefighters have the second most-stressful job in the country, exceeded only by those enrolled in the military. ...
Army installation to get energy-saving makeover
The U.S. Army’s Fort Bliss will get a solar energy installation and other energy efficiency improvements that are expected to save the post $39 million in energy costs over the next 24 years. Johnson Controls won the federal contract for the Fort Bliss work. ...
Texas fire station gets rebuilt, thanks to ABC’s ‘Extreme Makeover’
ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition is building a new home for volunteer firefighter Mizzy Zdroj, who lost her home in the massive Bastrop Fire in September, as well as improving one of her fire department's stations....
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