The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) leaders signed an agreement to maximize inspection and detection capabilities in order to prevent illegal and harmful products that pose threats to public health from entering the United States through the nation’s international mail facilities and ports of entry.
Department of Defense (DoD) leaders briefed the House Armed Services Committee’s subcommittee on intelligence and emerging threats and capabilities. The leaders outlined a number of steps the DoD is taking to strengthen its anti-weapons of mass destruction (WMD) efforts.
Calling all company-level officers, chief officers, and supervisors who have department-level health and safety responsibilities (such as program planning and implementation) and who may serve as an incident safety officer or department health and safety officer. This six-day course provides knowledge and practice in the context of current issues to develop strategies of risk management associated with the provision of firefighting and emergency medical services to reduce firefighter fatalities and injuries. Course openings are available for July 2019. Register today!
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a final rule classifying in vitro diagnostic devices for the detection of Bacillus bacteria into class II (moderate-risk) with special controls. Bacillus bacteria detection devices are prescription devices that provide a preliminary identification of Bacillus anthracis and other Bacillus species to help diagnose cases of anthrax and other diseases caused by Bacillus bacteria.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) awarded Smiths Detection Inc. a contract for 300 Computed Tomography systems and associated ancillary equipment and services. This technology will vastly enhance threat detection capabilities for carry-on baggage and overall effectiveness at airport security checkpoints across the United States.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) invites industry, academia, laboratories, and the innovation community to submit white papers related to 12 first responder technology funding opportunities. The new Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) solicitation (BAA 18-02 Call 0001) will remain open until 1 May 2019.
On 26 March 2019, President Donald J. Trump signed the Executive Order on Coordinating National Resilience to Electromagnetic Pulses, the first-ever comprehensive whole-of-government policy to build resilience and protect against electromagnetic pulses (EMPs). Without protection, these temporary electromagnetic signals can disrupt, degrade, and damage technology and critical infrastructure systems across large areas.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate’s (S&T) Enhanced Dynamic Geo-Social Environment (EDGE) virtual training platform provides a safe, immersive environment where first responders, and now educators, can hone their skills and prepare for a multitude of incident responses. Built on the same video gaming platform as popular titles like Fortnite, EDGE was intentionally designed to be easily accessed, easily used, and easily integrated into agencies’ existing training protocols.
As part of the President’s 2020 Budget, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration proposed new funding across multiple aspects of our nation’s food safety system to ensure a more secure and modern food safety framework.
This free video training series, created by the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC), Department of Emergency Health Services, with assistance from the Maryland Department of Health, and funding from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is designed to meet the needs of first responders who are expected to deal with the health needs of people who find themselves in health emergencies they cannot manage on their own.
