http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/RSS.ashxiPaper PagesMon, 01 Jun 2009 16:22:56 +0200http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=1http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=1HURRICANE SEASON 2009 HomelandSecurityToday I N S I G H T & A N A LY S I S June 2009 Vol. 6, No. 5 $5.95 USD ™ W. Craig Fugate From Florida to FEMA Plus. Getting the most out of preparedness purchasing How Facebook and Tweets could save your life Michael Chertoff sets up shop Facing the Flu2009-06-01T16:22:56+02:00http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=2http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=2THE ENEMY IS UNCERTAINTY. What’s out there? What’s next? What’s around the corner? Our goal at DRS is to help defeat this common enemy, to turn questions into answers. Make the unknown known, and give your people the tools to succeed. In the field, you want answers. Which is why DRS continuously improves the technology to see more and know more within an ever-changing environment: night vision and vehicle sight enhancement products, tactical computers and communications tools that inform and enable personnel wherever they may be. Bring us your toughest challenges. We’re always looking for new enemies to conquer. www.drs.com2009-06-01T16:22:56+02:00http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=3http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=3DEPARTMENTS 3 4 7 9 Editor’s Letter Hurricane season 2009 From Florida to FEMA Updates & Responses DHS budget request rises Frontlines Facing the flu effectively BY DANIEL M. GERSTEIN The Journey of W. Craig Fugate By Michael Peltier Funding & Resources Protecting the homeland—and the virtue of first responders BY MICHAEL PADDOCK America’s master of disaster takes charge and looks toward a turbulent time ahead. 11 Responders Today Getting set for CBRNE BY PHILIP LEGGIERE 15 Nebraska Ave. Labor’s day at DHS BY KELLEY VLAHOS • DHS Roster 26 A Better Way of Buying By Philip Leggiere 19 Agency Spotlight Tools on tap BY HANK HOGAN 21 Market Monitor ICx grows despite market turbulence BY PHILIP FINNEGAN 23 Industry News • Industry Roster 48 Tools & Technology 52 Leadership Profile Michael Chertoff The Chertoff Group Times are tough for state and local governments but smart decisions can purchase better preparedness. 35 RESOURCES 50 Tradeshow circuit 50 Advertiser index 51 Coming in the next issue COVER PHOTO OF W. CRAIG FUGATE BY DAVID BRODY FOR HOMELAND SECURITY TODAY. 43 MASS NOTIFICATION Social Networks to the Rescue By Mickey McCarter Facebook friends and tweets from strangers may just save your life. Read more articles online at www.HSToday.us2009-06-01T16:22:56+02:00http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=4http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=4Providing innovative new tools to find people and things in remote areas is just one of our many jobs. We’re Science Applications International Corporation – 45,000 smart, dedicated people who have the deepest understanding of their fields and a passion to find the right solution. People like Stephen Wiechecki Vergara, Ph.D. Smart people solving hard problems. For detailed information, visit www.saic.com/radar Energy I Environment I National Security I Health I Critical Infrastructure © 2009 Science Applications International Corporation. All rights reser ved.2009-06-01T16:22:56+02:00http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=5http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=5EDITOR’S LETTER Hurricane season 2009 THIS YEAR THE ADMINISTRATION OF PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA FACES ITS FIRST HURRICANE SEASON AND,ASWE ALL SAW SO PAINFULLY IN 2005, FAILURE TO SUCCESSFULLY DEAL WITH NATURAL DISASTERS CAN HAVE DEVASTATING POLITICAL CONSEQUENCES. Fortunately, that lesson was learned in This year, the focus on FEMA will be the immediate wake of Hurricane Katrina, especially intense. The entire administraand political leaders and government offition will no doubt be judged by this one cials have been at great pains to never again agency’s performance. allow the kind of indifference, ignorance Fortunately, FEMA will have as its head and incompetence that marred the managea man who is widely regarded as the best ment of that disaster and the recovery of the emergency manager in the business— city of New Orleans and the entire Gulf coast. W. Craig Fugate, who is taking on the job Indeed, much to her credit since com- after a career in all aspects of emergency ing to office, Homeland Security Secretary response and management, from local first Janet Napolitano has focused considerresponder to director of Florida’s Division able attention on the recovery of the Gulf of Emergency Management. coast, visiting Louisiana, Mississippi and At his April 22 confirmation hearing Texas, appointing Janet Woodka to be the (held, appropriately enough, on Earth Day), Federal Coordinator of Rebuilding in the Fugate kept his focus on the future. Gulf Coast Region and Tony Russell to be “…Rather than look back at Katrina and acting director of the Louisiana TransiRita, I believe that it is critical to focus on tional Recovery Office. She has also FEMA’s preparedness—for all types of disasrealigned offices and dissolved temporary ters—moving forward,” he said. “Judging organizations in favor of permanent FEMA’s future success on the basis of offices that are part of the Federal Emer- whether it is ‘better than Katrina’ is not gency Management Agency (FEMA). viable. Although the media may use the failAll this is part of cleaning up the legacy ures of Katrina and Rita as a standard of of Katrina and the missteps of the previous measurement for judging the effectiveness administration. However, the true test of of government, this standard does not, in Napolitano’s Department of Homeland my opinion, meet our sworn commitment Security (DHS) and the new FEMA will be to the American people.” how they deal with this year’s disasters— If confirmed, he pledged, “I will hold and all disasters that occur on their watch. FEMA’s future response and recovery missions to a much higher standard of success.” BY DAVID SILVERBERG “If he meets the standard he intends to set, Fugate could emerge as a historic figure.” This reputation is a double-edged sword, though. It can give rise to unrealistic expectations. What is more, there is always a danger that an official who proved very competent at one level of government can be overwhelmed by new pressures and stresses at the next level—the old “Peter Principle” in which managers rise to their “level of incompetence.” So far that has not proven to be the case with Napolitano, and hopefully it won’t prove to be the case with Fugate. Certainly, Fugate has the advantage of widespread recognition of the importance of emergency management, which was absent pre-Katrina. People from the grassroots to the White House understand that knowledge, experience and competence count mightily when disaster strikes. Fugate brings all those qualities to FEMA. Fugate certainly raised the standard of emergency management in Florida and made it a national model. Now he has the chance to authoritatively make the model national and raise that standard very high. He will have much willing assistance in Congress, the White House and DHS. We, like the rest of the nation, will be watching his progress with interest. Hurricane season 2009 is upon us. It’s time for the transformation to begin. HST A rough start The overwhelming issues facin2009-06-01T16:22:56+02:00http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=6http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=6UPDATES & RESPONSES DHS FY 2010 budget request rises by 4.9 percent THE BUDGET OF THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (DHS) WOULD RISE 4.9 PERCENT IN FISCAL YEAR (FY) 2010 TO $55.1 BILLION UNDER A BUDGET REQUEST SUBMITTED BY THE DEPARTMENT TO CONGRESS ON MAY 7. Of the total amount, gross discretionary spending would rise 5.9 percent to $45.7 billion, including fees for airport security. “Our proposed budget strengthens current efforts that are vital to our nation’s security, bolsters our ability to respond to emerging and evolving threats, and enables DHS to embrace new responsibilities,” Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said in a press statement. “This budget represents a critical investment in the protection of the American people.” Napolitano stated that the budget has five priorities: counterterrorism; border security; enforcement of immigration laws; disaster preparedness, response and recovery; and department unification. The department also hopes to reduce costs by increasing cooperation with state and local law enforcement, international allies, the private sector, and other federal departments, expanding DHS’ science and technology portfolio and maximizing operational efficiency. Across government, President Barack Obama requested $69.8 billion for homeland security activities, a 1.5 percent increase over last year. The increase affects 31 government agencies, with five agencies—the departments of Homeland Security, Health and Human Services, Justice and Energy accounting for 93 percent of the total, or $64.9 billion. United States to Mexico. That funding would pay for 44 additional Border Patrol agents and eight support staff as well as 65 officers of US Customs and Border Patrol and eight support staff. The US northern border would receive $20 million in targeted funds to support the rollout of the Secure Border Initiative-Network (SBInet) to the northern border. The budget also provides $10 million to fund 80 new positions for the E-Verify employment verification program. PHONE: HSToday WWW.HSToday.US ™ P.O. Box 9789, McLean, Va. 22101-3611 800-503-6506 FAX: 866-503-5758 PUBLISHER Kimberley S. Hanson-Brown PHONE: 800-503-6506 khanson@HSToday.us EDITOR David Silverberg PHONE: 703-757-0520 editor@HSToday.US SENIOR REPORTER Anthony Kimery akimery@HSToday.us BUSINESS EDITOR Philip Leggiere Business@HSToday.us WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENTS Mickey McCarter Kelley Vlahos REGIONAL CORRESPONDENTS NORTH AMERICA Detection and transportation “In this budget, no new programs are being added, and programs that are ineffective are being terminated,” Peggy Sherry, acting DHS chief financial officer, told reporters on a conference call announcing the budget. “The administration proposes to eliminate items that represent stovepipes or have provided little return on the security investment or where technology is obsolete.” The cuts save the department an estimated $67 million, Sherry said. The budget proposal requested $3.9 billion for grants, although it eliminated funding for a trucking security program and an inner-city bus security grant program. The truck security program still has funding from fiscal 2009, Sherry said, while the inner-city bus program would be folded into the transit security grant program. The budget request also includes no new funding for the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office (DNDO), which procures radiation portal monitors for US ports of entry. “From the nuclear detection aspect, this simply represents that we have a significant amount of funds already appropriated for the programs, and it’s not a change in direction at this time,” said a DHS official participating in the conference call. “It’s really more of an understanding that it would be more prudent not to ask for more funds when we have a delay in the new technology coming forward, and we really think it’s just a chance to take a pause in asking for more money at this time while we get the certification complete and then start rolling out an2009-06-01T16:22:56+02:00http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=7http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=7Integrated Security Solutions GSA Expo 2009 San Antonio, TX June 9-11, 2009 expo.gsa.gov Identity Management Safeguarding Information Compliance Support Physical Security Security Systems IT Services and Products . and much more. Where Total Security Solutions Converge Your mission to safeguard America’s property, assets and workforce requires an integrated approach including access control, guards, surveillance and detection. The combination of physical and IT security offers the best defense against today’s potential threats to our nation’s infrastructure. With FAR compliant contracts and easy-to-use online research and procurement tools, GSA offers the quickest way to obtain solutions for HSPD-12, PII, INFOSEC, HIPAA, FEA, C&A and other regulatory compliance from pre-qualified contractors. We simplify purchasing by allowing you to tailor orders to your unique requirements and negotiate pricing below our ceiling rates. Best of all, we put you in control and a step ahead to accomplish the task at hand. For more information, visit gsa.gov/securitysolutions or call (800) 488-31112009-06-01T16:22:56+02:00http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=8http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=82009-06-01T16:22:56+02:00http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=9http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=9FRONT LINES Facing the flu effectively By DANIEL M. GERSTEIN NOT LONG AGO,WE ACHIEVED A MAJOR MILESTONE IN THE STRUGGLE TO MITIGATE THE EFFECTS OF , AND PERHAPS EVEN PREVENT, A BIOLOGICAL WARFARE ATTACK. Despite this important development, most Americans probably did not see the recent announcement about the possibility of a broad-spectrum vaccine for the prevention of seasonal influenza as a significant biodefense development. If such reinforcement was needed for some, the recent Swine Flu pandemic, which was discovered in April 2009 and has killed over 100 in Mexico and sickened thousands around the globe, serves as yet another example of the importance of such a vaccine. The potential for such a vaccine should serve as both a cause for optimism and a harbinger of the dangerous window of vulnerability that we face. As concluded in the recent Commission on the Prevention ofWMD Proliferation and Terrorism report, World at Risk (http:// www.preventwmd.gov/report/), released in November 2008, the United States can expect a terrorist attack using nuclear—or, more likely, biological—weapons before 2013. This puts us in a race that pits wellintentioned doctors and scientists against those who would use this technology to develop biological weapons. By some accounts, biotechnology is experiencing annual growth rates of over 400 percent. This growth can be measured by the development of a broad-spectrum influenza vaccine or the ability to rapidly decode the genomes of everything from humans to viruses. It can also be measured by the number of articles that provide detailed information—almost recipes—for altering the basic forms of life. In the same week that the potential for the influenza vaccine was announced, both houses of Congress introduced biosecurity measures designed to enhance the current Select Agent Program (SAP) that seeks to limit the proliferation of the most deadly pathogens and to improve security at our nation’s laboratories. These measures are necessary, but not sufficient in light of the growing threat that we face from the proliferation of the deadly elements of a biological warfare attack. Other important measures that we must incorporate into our biodefense activities include improved cooperation within the international community, the development of a real time biosurveillance capability and training, education and exercises for those responsible for protecting populations in the event of an attack. Global cooperation While closing proliferation windows by strengthening the SAP in the United States is important, gaining international acceptance of these limits and improving cooperation and collaboration across the globe is essential. The reticence of some nations to share information about the state of avian influenza transgenic shift and the continued secrecy surrounding Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) even after several years have passed demonstrate that more needs to be done in this regard. The patient privacy. Some want to allow for cities, counties and states to develop these systems. Others worry about cost. Still, it seems that we have the equivalent of the “canary in the coal mine,” if we could only harness the information in a real time, productive biosurveillance system. Foundations of preparedness In the event of a biological warfare attack or even a natural disease outbreak, training, education and exercises are the foundational elements of preparedness. Government leaders and public health officials need to understand their roles in the crisis, making the right decisions immediately and getting the proper information out to the public.What measures must be taken to prevent additional infections? Do we need to quarantine? How should precious drugs and vaccines be allocated? In this regard, it is instructive to look at the history of smallpox eradication to understand that the way we fight disease may appear counterintuitive, but it is nonetheless essential to limiting the spread of infecti2009-06-01T16:22:56+02:00http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=10http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=10Can technology make airport security even more secure? Siemens integrated security solutions protect passengers, personnel, equipment and the entire airport infrastructure. From integrated security equipment and maintenance to environmental controls, from fire safety to baggage scanning and screening, Siemens provides all airports across the nation with solutions that strengthen passenger security, safety and peace of mind. siemens.com/answers © Siemens AG, 2009 All Rights Reserved.2009-06-01T16:22:56+02:00http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=11http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=11FUNDING & RESOURCES Protecting the homeland— and the virtue of first responders BY MICHAEL PADDOCK AS YOU MAY HAVE HEARD, WE HAVE ENTERED A NEW ERA OF TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY . THAT IS CERTAINLY TRUE IN THE CONTEXT OF THEAMERICAN RECOVERY AND REINVESTMENT ACT, WHICH COUNTS TRANSPARENCY AS A PRIMARY GOAL. BUT THESE PRECEPTS ARE ALSO MAKING THEIR WAY INTO GRANT GUIDANCE FOR ANNUAL HOMELAND SECURITY FUNDING PROGRAMS—MOST RECENTLY THE ASSISTANCE TO FIREFIGHTERS GRANT PROGRAM (AFGP). The US Fire Administration (USFA), a ultimately benefit from encouraging cusleader in effective administration of funding tomers to seek grants, will need to change for emergency responders,included specific their tactics, as well. language in the guidance document for the So what is permitted? For those vendors 2009 AFGP that stated that any vendor who who work with state and local first responparticipated in writing, editing, critiquing, or ders, the message is clear: no involvement otherwise preparing an agency’s grant appli- whatsoever in grantwriting—not reviewing, cation would be precluded from bidding on not critiquing, and certainly not writing for subsequent procurement opportunities sup- the grant. However, vendors can (and ported by the grant. should) provide a few necessary elements In other words, the USFA was clarifying that do more to define the project than the and reiterating guidance provided during grant, but ultimately benefit both. the 1990s under various Office of ManageHere are a few do’s and don’t’s in dealing ment and Budget circulars that define how with vendors: federal grant funds may be used by various Do: types of recipients. At the same time,though, Collect published documents that are USFA was also asserting a policy position suitable for broad distribution and not that these regulations would be strictly specific to a particular application, even enforced, where under previous administraif the content of those documents could tions, they had not. be useful in thinking through a grant As with most actions the president and application narrative (like the needs the Cabinet take in the first 100 days after taking solution being offered addresses); office, there is a natural tendency to want to Include vendors in developing a project read the policy potential into every word. In plan,especially providing assistance with this case,however,vendors and grantseeking product configurations and developing a agencies would be remiss to ignore the clear realistic budget for the overall project; indication that the 26 federal grantmaking Ask vendors for information and help in agencies generally, and the Department of identifying public and private funding Homeland Security in particular, will be sources that can support the project; working to make the grantseeking process as Allocate your own resources to grantwritclean and visible as possible. Moreover, the ing, whether internal staff or an outside line that defines terms like “collusion” and grants-specific consulting firm, realizing “conflict of interest” is going to be moved a that it will require resources to apply for a little farther upstream in the funding process, grant; and violations will not be tolerated. Expect vendors to answer your questions The involvement of vendors as trusted promptly; advisors in municipal projects,from defining Keep control of your project, rememberneeds to helping frame budgets, will not, ing that it will be your responsibility to and cannot, go away. As anyone who has implement it once it’s funded. tried to define a major citywide security project can tell you, it takes all the project stakeholders, working hand in hand, to make a Don’t: Ask vendors to write your application for project work. But the times of intensive venyou or accept their help writing an applidor involvement in municipal grantwriting cation (some programs do allow this type appear to be a-changin’, and vendors, who Register online today for exclusive online content2009-06-01T16:22:56+02:00http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=12http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=12When lives are on the line, first responders need a partner they can count on. From day-to-day operations to disaster response, Harris radios bring interoperability to public safety communications. As the leading provider of interoperable communications solutions to our soldiers on the battlefield, Harris now brings its experience and expertise to public safety. Building on our rich heritage in defense communications, we’ve introduced the Unity™ family of full-spectrum products for joint public safety operations on the local, state, and federal levels. Harris radios can now connect the soldiers that protect our freedom as well as the emergency personnel that protect our families. We help them talk and work as one. To learn more about interoperability or to view products, visit www.talkasone.com/HST2009-06-01T16:22:56+02:00http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=13http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=13RESPONDERS TODAY Getting set for CBRNE BY PHILIP LEGGIERE, BUSINESS EDITOR THE MULTIPLE COORDINATED TERROR BOMBINGS OF THE LONDON SUBWAY AND BUS SYSTEM ON JULY 7, 2005, EXACTED A HORRIFIC TOLL, INCLUDING 56 DEATHS AND MORE THAN 700 WOUNDED. Tragic as the bombings clearly were for the city,lightning-quick emergency response by London firefighters, police and emergency medical personnel was widely credited with preventing far greater devastation. For example, within 20 minutes after the first explosion, the London Fire Brigade had deployed four units, including a fire rescue unit to the scene, where they began working with British transport police and ambulance services who were already there. Despite a deficient underground communications capability, first responders began rescuing wounded and trapped underground riders in tunnels within a half-hour of the first incident. Miraculously, there were no casualties among the thousands of first response units deployed that day. REUTERS/STEPHEN HIRD PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT unlikely that responders will have the luxury of knowing beforehand precisely what hazards they are facing,” Craig Baker, deputy fire chief of Washington, DC’s, Fire and Emergency Medical Service Department, told Homeland Security Today. The problem is that, until now, firefighters and other emergency workers have had to play a kind of Russian roulette when going to a fire scene, Baker explained. They could don their normal breathing apparatus and hope they weren’t heading into a more hazardous chemical threat, or they could bring along highly specialized, expensive and difficult to deploy CBRNEspecific gear traditionally reserved for HAZMAT workers. “What’s been missing,” Baker added, “is the option of having existing clothing and equipment which can simultaneously offer protection against not just conventional exposure but at least a reasonable protection against CBRNE, as well.” In response to that gap, federal safety agencies—in particular, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and protective equipment manufacturers—have been working at ways of giving first responders more viable options. NIOSH has created a series of standards for different kinds of respirators, including self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA), air-purifying respirators (APR), powered airpurifying respirators (PAPR) and two types of emergency escape respirators. For each of these standards, specific criteria have been defined to offer respiratory protection against CBRNE hazards. These hazards include exposure to chemical warfare agents (for example, sarin and mustard gas), toxic industrial chemicals (sometimes referred to as TICs, such as ammonia and phosgene), biological agents (for example, anthrax) and radiological or nuclear particulates. “In traditional air purification systems, the inhaling filter was hazard-specific, so responders couldn’t go to a scene without a variety of different filters,” explained Roland BerryAnn, acting program manager for respiratory protection at NIOSH’s National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory. NIOSH’s work has been an important Homeland Security Today Magazine | June 2009 While this was no doubt a credit to the advance planning undertaken by first response organizations throughout the United Kingdom, it was also, in retrospect, a matter of luck. The reason? Despite the clear and present danger of exposure to chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear or explosive materials (CBRNE), most of the first responders went into the subways after the bombing with breathing masks and respirators effective against only conventional explosives. A global threat The issues faced by London emergency responders are not unique. “Despite heightened awareness of the possibility of chemical attack, it remains true that in any given emergency it is highly The scene at Oval 2009-06-01T16:22:56+02:00http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=14http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=14THEY’LL GET THE MESSAGE. RESPONDERS TODAY catalyst for spurring innovation, according to Mark Deasy, communications director for Pittsburgh, Pa.-based Mine Safety Appliances (MSA). “Five or 10 years ago, in an event you might have had to use three different respirators,” said Deasy. “When you don’t know the hazard, the protocol has been to use a general SCBA. Once you knew the hazard level, you would then move to a specialized CBRN gas mask. Now, thanks to the NIOSH standards, it’s much more feasible to design and manufacture one face piece that can be adjusted for a variety of situations.” Using NIOSH standards, MSA was able to design its FireHawk M7 Responder Air Mask, a mask that, depending on the situation, can quickly be transformed into a CBRN air-purifying respirator APR or a CBRN PAPR. The flexibility built into the respirator, according to Deasy, enables first responders to change respirator modes as their jobs change direction from first response and rescue to scene management and remediation activities. Future developments As important as having respirators that give a broader range of protection is, said David Ladd, director of hazardous materials response at the Massachusetts Department of Fire Services, equally critical going forward will be having standards in place that specify requirements directly relevant to first responders’ missions. Specifically, explained Ladd, “We need to develop standards for interoperability and interchangeability of key components to provide flexibility to the responders during large-scale events.” “We’ve come quite a way in the past few years on the protective front,” Ladd added. “The next frontier will be providing standards that enable true ease of use, and the ability to function more comfortably over longer time periods.” With this in mind, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in October 2008 awarded the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) a $2 million contract to develop a new pressure vessel that will make the SCBA worn by first responders substantially thinner and lighter. The IAFF is currently working with Vulcore Industrial, based in Fort Wayne, Ind., to use technology, engineering and new materials to modify the pressure vessel in a way that will reduce the weight and make it smaller and more flexible. According to initial design specifications, the new pressure vessel will offer a weight reduction of up to 60 percent compared to conventional SCBA cylinders. The prototype is currently undergoing testing in simulated confined space entry. The IAFF’s contract with DHS will run through January 2010, and hopes are high, according to Baker, that research and development will result in new, far more user-friendly CBRNE-ready SBCA. “Every firefighter—and first responder, for that matter—has to accept that, from now on, dealing with the possibility of CBRNE is part of our job description, something we must be prepared for every day. Luckily, our [personal protective equipment] is beginning to fully reflect this.” HST ALERT FM™ allows emergency managers to send critical information to targeted recipients like citizens, businesses and first responders in seconds. This personal alert and messaging system transmits messages using the data subcarrier of local FM stations. It’s Reliable. It’s Affordable. And it’s available right now. So don’t let another emergency strike before contacting us today to find out how you can better protect your citizens with ALERT FM. 1-866-869-5180 www.ALERTFM.com 12 June 2009 | Homeland Security Today Magazine This month’s issue is now available online at…2009-06-01T16:22:56+02:00http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=15http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=15It’s your job to protect others, so missing a beat is not an option. Nextel Direct Connect ® makes sure your entire team can be mobilized in under a second. And in a field like this, that second makes all the difference. Nextel Direct Connect. Only on the Now Network.™ 1-800-NEXTEL-9 sprint.com/nextel BlackBerry® Curve™ 8350i Direct Connect: Nextel and PowerSource devices operate on the Nextel National Network. International Direct Connect not included. Other Terms: “Fastest” claim based on initial call setup time. Coverage not available everywhere. The Nextel National Network reaches over 274 million people. ©2009 Sprint. Sprint and the logo are trademarks of Sprint. Other marks are the property of their respective owners.2009-06-01T16:22:56+02:00http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=16http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=161 Suspect Contamination 2 Open Package 3 Wipe 4 Rinse (When Time Permits)2009-06-01T16:22:56+02:00http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=17http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=17NEBRASKA AVENUE Then-Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.) addresses the International Association of Fire Fighters Convention on May 11, 2007 in Portsmouth, NH during the presidential campaign. The administration’s friendly relations with organized labor are now extending into homeland security. Labor’s day at DHS BY KELLEY VLAHOS, WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT ALL OF A SUDDEN, DOORS SEEMED TO OPEN UP TO COLLEEN KELLEY. A NEW SITUATION INDEED, SHE SAID. AFTER ALL, THIS WAS THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (DHS), AND FOR THE PREVIOUS SIX YEARS, LABOR UNION LEADERS WERE PRETTY MUCH USED TO WAITING OUT IN THE HALL. “It’s great, of course, because for so long we have had no one to have a conversation with, to solve a problem; it’s always been a fight, in my view,” Kelley said of the agency under former Secretary Michael Chertoff. Kelley is president of the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU), which represents about 20,000 employees under DHS, mostly Customs and Border Protection officers. Like the American Federation of Government Employees, which also represents thousands of DHS workers, NTEU had early face time with new DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano, and is so far enjoying the new pro-labor vibes throughout the Obama administration and the Democratic-majority Congress. There are currently 10 unions representing 58,000 DHS employees, according to agency officials. “It was clear to me that there was a real different attitude,” Kelley said of the meeting with Napolitano shortly after the new secretary was sworn in. “Having an administration and Congress to work with and to be able to identify and resolve problems in a much more constructive way than we have in the past is something I think will be good for the department.” To be sure, the administration of President George Bush and congressional Republicans were never really considered “friends of labor.” Meanwhile, year after year, unions work very hard to get Democrats elected. In the 2008 election cycle, labor contributed $74 million to federal candidates– 92 percent of them Democrats. President Barack Obama received $466,324 from the labor sector, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, while his Republican opponent, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), received $24,650. Until January, the Nebraska Avenue headquarters of DHS had been under Republican stewardship, and sources, including former DHS officials, say there was a particularly prickly relationship with labor. When it was created, DHS pulled together 22 different agencies and departments, some of which already had union representation. Philosophically, the two sides approached maintaining the workforce differently, with the need for effective security left somewhere in a no-man’s land between them. “It was certainly a strained relationship,” said Barry Kasinitz, director of governmental affairs for the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF), which welcomed not only Napolitano to its annual winter meeting in March but Vice President Joseph Biden and House Speaker Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). The IAFF represents some 293,000 firefighters in all 50 states. Kasinitz said, “Our champions in Congress” pursued bipartisan efforts to get full funding for firefighters every year—not the Bush administration.With them,he charged, “the firefighters were never at the table.” Tensions in other DHS departments are clearly more partisan, like the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), over which Democrats and Republicans have been fighting since it was created in 2001. Airport screeners, or Transportation Security Officers (TSOs), are mostly represented by the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), with a smaller number by NTEU, but Republican lawmakers have so far prevented them from obtaining collective bargaining rights and have sought to minimize union influence in the workplace from the onset. PHOTO BY DARREN MCCOLLESTER/GETTY IMAGES Fear for flexibility Critics say labor’s interference in pay and in other man2009-06-01T16:22:56+02:00http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=18http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=18NEBRASKA AVENUE conditions of employment. Bills granting such rights had passed both the House and Senate that year, but died in conference. Hawley told a Senate panel at the time that “there will be a serious negative security impact” if the bargaining rights are pursued. “At the end of the day, this issue is not about collective bargaining,” Hawley said. “It is about having a human resources system that provides for a flexible, agile workforce that can rapidly deploy and respond throughout our transportation system to counter the terrorist threat.” Speaking before Congress in 2007, Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.), now ranking member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, reminded fellow members why TSA workers—now about 48,000 strong—weren’t given bargaining rights at the outset of TSA’s founding. In fact, there was a debate from the beginning whether workers should even be federalized— because of flexibility concerns. “We had a bipartisan agreement when we created TSA that we wouldn’t do that [grant bargaining rights] and put us at risk,” he charged. In April: Alan Bersin was named DHS assistant secretary for international affairs and special representative for border affairs. … Philip Mudd was nominated to be under secretary for Intelligence and Analysis and Bart Johnson was named principal deputy under secretary. … David Heyman was nominated to be DHS assistant secretary for policy and Arif Alikhan was appointed assistant secretary for policy development. … TSA appointed Randy Parsons federal security director for Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, John Daly Jr. federal security director for the Orlando and Sanford Airports and Kristin Lee assistant administrator of the office of strategic communications and public affairs. … Robert (Randy) Beers was nominated as under secretary for national protection and programs at DHS. …At DoD, Paul Stockton was nominated as the assistant secretary for homeland defense and America’s security affairs. security in our airports, TSA workers need to have whistleblower protections and collective bargaining rights to be able to report security concerns without fear of losing their jobs.” As of press time, sources close to Thompson’s committee said there were plans to introduce a bill that would grant those rights to the TSOs, while in the Senate, Democratic sources acknowledged that pro-union forces had gained footing in the last election and that some sort of movement on bargaining rights was likely. “A lot of DHS units have collective bargaining rights and have operated well,” said one Democratic aide. “Many workers across the federal government have collective bargaining rights and have performed homeland security functions. There is no tension with national security and collective bargaining rights, in my view.” For their part, Republicans on the key homeland security committees with oversight in this area were noncommittal about the prospect of another congressional fight over unions and told Homeland Security Today they preferred to let Napolitano and their counterparts in Congress make the first move before commenting. thing has happened … they talk about first responders. And when they talk about first responders, they talk about firefighters and emergency personnel such as yourselves,” she said. Napolitano pledged to fight for the key first responder grants, which include “fire grants,” or the Assistance to Firefighter Grants, of which $565 million was doled out to the states for fiscal year 2009, and the SAFER (Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response) grant, for which $210 million was allocated this year. She also pointed out there was another $210 million set aside in the federal stimulus package signed in February “specifically devoted to firefighter assistance grants.” Meanwhile, Kelley said NTEU is eager to advance its agenda for the Customs and Border Protection Officers it represents, too. That would include an increase in staffing. “I’ve already 2009-06-01T16:22:56+02:00http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=19http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=19Model # JD Sans Medium 55 pt, Model Discriptor JD Sans Medium 16/21pt More effective than “KEEP OUT.” What better way to declare territory off-limits? After all, a Gator UV can help you shut down every possible access point. The R-Gator UGV can even secure perimeters autonomously— while sending back a live video/thermal feed. Best of all, every vehicle is backed by a nationwide network of expert dealers, and unparalleled parts support. Interested? Call 1-800-358-5010, or visit www.JohnDeere.com to contact our dedicated government/contractor sales team. Theater-proven M-Gator A1 Unmanned R-Gator UGV Fast, diesel XUV 850D 957472009-06-01T16:22:56+02:00http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=20http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=20WILL YOUR WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS WORK NOW? PAGING ARCHITECTURE CELLULAR ARCHITECTURE In an emergency, communications must get through, no matter what the extent of damage may be. Paging and two-way messaging from USA Mobility are proven wireless communications. In the wake of recent hurricanes, earthquakes, power grid blackouts and isolated cellular overload situations, our Emergency Response Network has delivered as promised. Fully deployed nationwide, our wireless network is always ready, redundant and survivable. For proven low-cost, reliable communications, call USA Mobility at 888-878-5033. multiple towers. system. USA Mobility’s new ST902, a disposable battery-operated, two-way messaging device, provides 3+ weeks of uninterrupted communications. To learn more about survivable communications in a disaster, go to usamobility.com/whitepaper. USAMOBILITY.COM2009-06-01T16:22:56+02:00http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=21http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=21AGENCY SPOTLIGHT EPA Tools on tap BY HANK HOGAN, IT CORRESPONDENT ITS OVERALL MANDATE MAY BE TO SAFEGUARD HUMAN HEALTH AND THE ENVIRONMENT, BUT IN THE HOMELAND SECURITY ARENA, THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (EPA) IS ALL WET—LITERALLY. THAT’S BECAUSE PRESIDENTIAL DIRECTIVES HAVE MADE THE EPA THE PRIMARY AGENCY RESPONSIBLE FOR PUBLIC WATER SUPPLIES AND REMEDIATION FOLLOWING AN ATTACK. AS A RESULT, THE EPA HAS ESTABLISHED A HOMELAND SECURITY RESEARCH PROGRAM, BUT THIS EFFORT HAS A DIFFERENT FOCUS THAN WHAT MIGHT BE EXPECTED. “EPA does not do technology development except in special circumstances,” said Jonathan Herrmann, director of the agency’s National Homeland Security Research Center. Instead, the center concentrates on the evaluation of commercial technologies, with the goal being to see if they meet the agency’s homeland security needs. This work is primarily done under the center’s Technology Test and Evaluation Program, which is designed to assess the performance of monitoring devices and decontamination techniques. The funding for these activities is part of the $7.1 billion the agency requested for FY 2009. However, Herrmann noted that the EPA will step in if no commercial technology exists. A case in point involves microbiological contamination in drinking water. Detecting such contaminants is typically done at a laboratory, which means the water has to be moved from the field to the lab without compromising any contaminants that may be present. The problem is that the contaminants are often at concentrations diluted enough so that a significant amount of water has to be transported. A test, for instance, might require a 27-gallon water sample. Such an amount is both bulky and heavy, tipping the scales at over 200 pounds. Early on in the existence of the center, which was formed in 2002, it was realized that there was need for a device to concentrate water-borne contaminants. Unfortunately, the device didn’t exist, and no company was willing to develop one. So the center’s staff undertook the task, with two researchers basing a prototype on a kidney dialysis filter. They assembled the filter and other components into a portable carrying case, spending two years refining and testing the device. Today their aptly named Water Sample PHOTO: EPA The EPA's Water Sample Concentrator prototype. Concentrator can reduce the sample volume 200- to 400-fold, turning what had been a 27-gallon sample into one that is less than two cups, with a weight of less than a pound. The device takes about an hour to concentrate and process that much water. The technology has been licensed by Teledyne Isco, an operating unit of Teledyne Technologies located in Lincoln, Neb., that specializes in instrumentation for water and wastewater sampling and flow measurement. The company is in the process of commercializing the device for some sound business reasons, Herrmann told Homeland Security Today. “The concentrator has applications beyond just those related to homeland security.” Evaluation assistance In addition to its testing and evaluation programs, another way that EPA helps protect the public water supply can be found in TEVA-SPOT, or the Threat Ensemble Vulnerability Assessment Research Program Sensor Placement Optimization Tool. That mouthful is the name for a set of software tools that enable a water utility to determine the best place to put a water quality sensor. In developing the tool, the agency worked directly with 10 water utilities. A number of others are currently evaluating their own specific use of TEVA-SPOT. There’s been considerable interest in the package from water utilities and drinking water associations, said Herrmann. The backbone of the system is EPANET, an open source standard for modeling a drinking water distribution system. Available for download from the agency’s website, EPANET allows a water utility to use the software to model its specific system, thereby discovering where to place sensors to do the most goo2009-06-01T16:22:56+02:00http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=22http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=22When the government asks you to help secure its network of facilities, assets and people, that’s trust. For government’s physical, operational and cybersecurity challenges, ADT represents effective, scalable solutions. Government relies on ADT’s global capability and over 130 years of experience to help secure its critical assets throughout the homeland and the world. From command and control integrated platforms and wireless video surveillance networks, to credential-identity management and mass notification systems, ADT’s Total Security Platform helps government fulfill its vital security mission. Virtually all federal agencies, U.S. military installations worldwide, and the nation’s airports, seaports and mass transit systems trust the comprehensive resources of the ADT Federal Systems Division for integrated solutions and effective results. Now with ADT, you can procure electronic security services that are SAFETY Act certified and designated by the Department of Homeland Security. For your next security initiative, choose a trusted security partner that is always there, ready to help government mitigate its unique risks. Call 1-888-721-6612 now. www.adt.com/government Schedule 84 HSPD-12/FIPS-201 Approved Integrator Homeland Security SAFETY Act Certified and Designated for Electronic Security Services ADT state license numbers are available for review at www.adt.com or by contacting 1-800-ADT-ASAP.® ©2008 ADT Security Services, Inc. All Rights Reserved. ADT, the ADT logo, ADT Always There and 1-800-ADT-ASAP are registered trademarks of ADT Services, AG, and are used under license.2009-06-01T16:22:56+02:00http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=23http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=23MARKET MONITOR ICx grows despite market turbulence BY PHILIP FINNEGAN ICX TECHNOLOGIES, BASED IN ARLINGTON, VA., IS ONE OF THE MORE DYNAMIC HOMELAND SECURITY COMPANIES AND HAS MANAGED TO SURMOUNT TOUGH CHALLENGES DURING THE TURBULENT PERIOD IN WHICH IT BECAME A PUBLICLY TRADED COMPANY. THIS HAS ALLOWED IT TO WIN KEY COMPETITIONS. The current worldwide economic crisis has led ICx to shift its strategy for now, but it continues to perform on recent, large contract wins, executing on its backlog and driving into international markets. This promises to enable it to continue to grow at 15 percent to 20 percent this year, Hans Kobler, the company executive chairman and cofounder, told Homeland Security Today in an interview. By 2010, Kobler anticipates that the company will be back at an organic growth rate of more than 30 percent annually. The company’s management projects that its earnings before profit, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) in 2009 will be positive. ICx reported a $7.6 million adjusted EBITDA loss on sales of $171.7 million in 2008. ICx made its initial public offering (IPO) in November 2007 as the stock market was being pounded downward. The company’s IPO was one of the last before virtually all such offerings ended in the face of market turmoil. CX IS ACTING AS THE I PRIME CONTRACTOR IN DEVELOPING AN ADVANCED TOOL KIT TO RESPOND TO FUTURE CHEMICAL, BIOLOGICAL, RADIOLOGICAL, NUCLEAR AND EXPLOSIVE THREATS. ICx has a precedent for this aggressive growth. It was originally put together from 20 different companies. Venture capital financed the creation of a unified company that was used to merge complementary technologies and derive marketing synergies. Even after the downturn hit, ICx managed to maintain high organic revenue growth rates, reaching 30 percent growth in six of the last seven quarters. Overall, growth in 2008 was 26 percent, rather than the 30 percent originally anticipated in the plan. The company now anticipates it can maintain 15 percent to 20 percent organic growth, demonstrating that ICx serves markets relatively untouched by the economic downturn. Its primary sales are to governments. Yet the market itself offers new challenges with the rapid decline in commercial security sales, Kobler said. As a result, the company has been aggressively cutting costs, reducing its workforce by more than 70 people in 2008. Additional cuts already have been executed this year. The company’s high research and development spending has been cut and is focused on bringing products quickly to market. A rough ride It has not been an easy ride for the company’s stock, which traded as high as $15.50 in November 2007, but dropped to about $4.50 in the middle of April. At times, it plunged by as much as 30 percent in a single day. This market downturn led the company’s management to revise its growth strategy away from the extremely ambitious targets set when it anticipated it could use its stock to make acquisitions, Kobler said. Originally, executives anticipated it could grow 20 percent annually through acquisitions, with another 30 percent annual growth coming from organic growth. Liberty, its technologies are used to provide advanced perimeter surveillance, people screening, access control and command and control. At the Pentagon, it provides air monitoring, biological threat identification, chemical monitoring and access control. At Hoover Dam, it provides advanced perimeter surveillance, integrated command and control and explosives detection. The Customs and Border Protection directorate of the Department of Homeland Security uses its products to guard the border with Mexico. Despite the market downturn, the company has managed to win programs that are significantly larger than those it has won in the past. Under the J2 program, ICx is acting as the prime contractor in developing an advanced tool kit to respond to future chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosive threats. The initial $20 mil2009-06-01T16:22:56+02:00http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=24http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=24Additional savings for qualified federal, state, and local employees Federal employee customers stay with GEICO for an average of 12 years Created in 1936 to serve government employees 97% customer satisfaction .and counting 1- 800- 947-AUTO © GEICO CUSTOMERS COULD SAVE 15% OR MORE. (And if you’re a federal employee, you’re leaning toward the “more” part.) GEICO is sponsoring a program with the Council for Excellence in Government, which created a website for new, young federal employees. To find out more, visit YoungFeds.org. Hathaway Inc. GEICO auto insurance is not available in Mass. Average tenure for GEICO policyholders in the federal government GEICO, Washington, DC 20076 GEICO2009-06-01T16:22:56+02:00http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=25http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=25HURRICANE SEASON HOMELAND SEC INDUSTRY NEWS INDUSTRY ROSTER Michael Hayden, former head of both the CIA and NSA, Paul Schneider, Charles Allen and Jay Cohen have joined The Chertoff Group as principals. … Tom Vice of Northrop Grumman has been elected chair of the Applied Science Center of Innovation and Excellence in Homeland Security. … NaviSite Inc. has appointed R. Brooks Borcherding senior vice president of sales and chief revenue officer. … Avineon Inc. has named Linda Hall business development executive for defense and homeland security. … Cobham plc has named Greg Caires to be its first vice president for media relations. … 21st Century Systems has tapped James Ballard to be senior vice president and chief of Global Services Group. Unmanned hurricane hunter to probe storms The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) are utilizing the Aerosonde unmanned aircraft by AAI Corp., Hunt Valley, Md., to gain insight into this year’s hurricanes. The Aerosonde will make continuous observation of the temperature, moisture and wind structure of the near-surface hurricane environment, providing real time detailed observations to NOAA forecasters. Aerosonde and its instruments will try to detect signals of rapid intensity changes in the hurricane. In late 2007, the Aerosonde completed a history-making flight into Hurricane Noel in cooperation with NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility and NOAA. This was the first hurricane mission in which an unmanned aircraft was able to explore the storm’s inner core. The 17-hour flight duration was a record for unmanned aircraft hurricane missions, and the aircraft gathered data from as low as 300 feet above the ocean’s surface. (Sources:NASA,AAI) Thales’ Liberty Multiband Land Mobile Radio available under GSA blanket purchase agreement Thales Communications Inc., Clarksburg, Md., a manufacturer of multiband, software-defined radio equipment, has announced its selection as an industry partner on the General Services Administration Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) for land mobile radio (LMR) equipment. The purpose of the BPA, which is in support of the federal departments of the Interior, Agriculture and Justice, is to obtain Project 25 (P25)-compliant LMR equipment. The Liberty multiband LMR is designed to enable federal, state, local and Department of Defense agencies to communicate across all of the public safety bands — 136-174 MHz, 380-520 MHz, 700 MHz and 800 MHz — using a single portable radio. Operating modes include P25-conventional, P25-trunked and legacy analog. The Liberty radio offers full encryption capabilities, including the Data Encryption standard and Advanced Encryption standard, with over-the-air-rekeying. Key features include a color-coded display screen, keypad programming and more than 2,600 channels. The Liberty radio is size, weight and performance equivalent to existing single-band portable LMRs. (Source:Thales Communications Inc.) Guard booth built to post-Katrina standards BIG Enterprises,South El Monte,Calif., a manufacturer of guardhouses, cashier booths, portable buildings, bus shelters and a variety of kiosks, has created “The Estate” parking control/guard booth for Louisiana State University. The booth was built to strict hurricane codes due to Hurricane Katrina and is designed to blend into its surroundings. The design features a copper standing seam roof, gutters, downspouts and cupola and came prepared for on-site installation with architectural brick and complete electrical and mechanical systems and cabinetry. The booth has extensive electrical and mechanical systems, high output heating, ventilation and air conditioning, data and communication lines, shelves and cabinets. It can also be customized for specific security needs, including bullet and blast resistance. It can be shipped completely prefabricated and ready for installation. (Source:BIG Enterprises) Register online today for exclusive on2009-06-01T16:22:56+02:00http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=26http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=26LAND SECURITY INDUSTRY NEWS First order placed for Z Gantry cargo and vehicle screening system The US Department of Defense has ordered Z Gantry multi-view Z backscatter cargo and vehicle screening systems from American Science and Engineering Inc., Billerica,Mass., a worldwide supplier of detection solutions. This is the first order for the new system. The Z Gantry’s bi-directional scanning platform operates in a gantry configuration by moving on rails past stationary vehicles and cargo to produce Z backscatter images from three sides — for left, right, and top-down screening. The system is designed to inspect cargo and vehicles for stowaways, explosives, and other contraband. (Source: American Science and Engineering Inc.) COURTESY AS&E Seattle Police use Azalea video network The Seattle,Wash.,police department successfully deployed a wireless mesh network from Azalea Networks, Milpitas, Calif., to establish a flexible video surveillance operation during the annual Mardi Gras celebration in the historic downtown neighborhood known as Pioneer Square. Facing the need to see and control potentially dangerous situations as they developed during the event, the Seattle Police Department sought a level of video throughput over multiple hops within the network. Semaphore Corp.,Seattle,Wash., managed the network’s installation. Azalea’s wireless network connects a series of cameras that provide streaming video over a 12-square-block area. Deployed in days, the wireless network provides speeds of up to 30 Mbps for backhaul of video to Seattle police headquarters, where the video is recorded, then sends that streaming video over the 4.9 GHz licensed public safety spectrum to a mobile police command center, where each camera view is monitored and controlled. (Source:Azalea) PHOTO: FEMA Sprint works to harden Florida networks Sprint Nextel, Overland Park, Kans., a wireless and wireline communications services provider, has invested approximately $50 million to harden Florida’s public safety networks for the 2009 hurricane season in an effort to provide critical communications to its customers before, during and after any storms. In 2008, Sprint’s network expansion and enhancements in Florida included network investments of approximately $27 million in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach Counties, $11 million in Tampa Bay, $9 million in Jacksonville, and more than $2 million in the Florida Panhandle. The company added more than 20 new cell sites and installed permanent generators at approximately 90 cell sites throughout the state to its Nationwide Sprint Network and Nextel National Network. (Source:Sprint) This month’s issue is now available online at… 24 June 2009 | www.HSToday.us2009-06-01T16:22:56+02:00http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=27http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=27Safety without walls. www.northropgrumman.com/homelandsecurity HOMELAND SECURITY At Northrop Grumman, we realize that today’s threats to homeland security require a multilayered defense. From border protection, threat countermeasures, air traffic security, identity management, and biochemical threats, to a secure network infrastructure that allows information sharing and real-time data flow, our systems are built to work on multiple levels. Our breadth of © 2009 Northrop Grumman Corporation experience helps customers achieve their missions, especially when it comes to adapting to quickly changing situations. Northrop Grumman is always there for first responders, state and local governments, and Homeland Security to help secure the freedoms we enjoy the most.2009-06-01T16:22:56+02:00http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=28http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=28HURRICANE SEASON 2009 From Florida to FEMA By M I C H A E L P E L T I E R , T A L L A H A S S E E C O R R E S P O N D E N T FOR CRAIG FUGATE, IT’S A PRETTY SIMPLE JOB. Number one: Meet the needs of victims. Number two: Take care of the responders. Number three: See number one. In a nutshell, that’s the way President Barack Obama’s pick to lead the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) views his appointment. It’s the second time that federal officials have tried to lure 50year-old Fugate from his role as director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, a post he took only a month after Sept. 11, 2001. He declined the last offer, which took place shortly after Hurricane Katrina ravaged New Orleans and FEMA director Michael Brown was sent packing. The agency, justifiably or not, was made out to be an ineffectual bystander. This time around, the former volunteer fire fighter and county-level emergency manager has stepped up in what colleagues say is a decision that will benefit the country for the foreseeable future. “I’m confident that Craig is the right person for the job and will ensure that the failures of the past are never repeated,” Obama said in a statement announcing Fugate’s nomination. Looking slightly uncomfortable in a sport coat, the otherwise short-sleeved emergency manager with more than 25 years experience has gained a reputation for an unpretentious style that focuses on substance over rhetoric. His resumé bears that out. After overseeing preparation, response and recovery from hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires, floods, international summits, Super Bowls and anthrax, about the only disaster Fugate has not faced directly is an earthquake. Facing upcoming confirmation hearings and at the urging of White House officials, Fugate declined to be interviewed for this article. (However, Fugate did provide this author with some of his lessons learned for Homeland Security Today’s June 2006 article, “Securing the Sunshine State,” available in the magazine archives at www.HSToday.us.) Colleagues and state officials say Fugate helped push Florida and the profession into the post-9/11 world by continuing the transformation of what had been an anemic emergency response system that, during his tenure, became a model for the country. “Nobody can ever accuse Craig of not being qualified for the job,” said Max Mayfield, former head of the National Hurricane Center in Miami, who first met Fugate in 1992. “He has risen from the ranks and paid his dues.” Florida boy stays put Born in Jacksonville, Fla., Fugate spent most of his life further inland, settling into central Florida’s Alachua County. His mother died when he was 11 years old. His father followed five years later. Fugate stayed in Florida’s rural interior. He graduated from Santa Fe High School in Alachua, where he was active in the Future Farmers of America and earned the group’s American Farmer degree, its highest honor. His professional career also began in Alachua County. Following a family tradition established by his late father and uncle, Fugate became a volunteer firefighter. After graduating from Florida State Fire College in nearby Gainesville, Fugate joined the Alachua County Fire and Rescue Department, where he rose to the rank of lieutenant before signing on as the county’s emergency management director in 1987. He would hold the county post for 10 years, a tenure that would impress upon Fugate the necessity for local officials taking charge in the event of disaster. It would be a lesson he would never forget. Cutting his teeth Though Fugate didn’t know it at the time, Florida’s anemic response to Hurricane Andrew in 1993 would push his career forward. Following Andrew, characterized by Fugate and others as “Florida’s Katrina,” Florida officials were determined that the state’s disorganized response would never happen again. This month’s issue is now available online at… 26 June 2009 | Homeland Security Today Magazine2009-06-01T16:22:56+02:00http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=29http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=29PHOTO BY DAVID BRODY FOR HOMELAND SECURITY TODAY W. Craig Fugate at his Senate confirmation hearing, April 22, 2009. Fugate explained to senators that the W stands for William, a first name neither Fugate nor his family have ever used. Register online today for exclusive online content and eNewsletters Homeland Security Today Magazine | June 2009 272009-06-01T16:22:56+02:00http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=30http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=30FROM FLORIDA TO FEMA In 1993, then-Gov. Lawton Chiles (D) hired Joe Myers, a former head of emergency management in North Carolina, and gave him the marching orders and money to transform Florida’s response capabilities into the best in the country. In 1997, when Myers’ second-in-command left to return to North Carolina, Myers hired Fugate. The job interview lasted five hours, Myers recalled, as Fugate talked at length about Andrew, the future of emergency management and the appropriate roles of local, state and federal government. “Mostly I just listened,” Myers recalled. “I remember asking him what he thought his weaknesses were. He said he didn’t suffer fools.” The next year, wildfires ripped through the tinder-dry state, and responders arrived from around the country to help out. As director of disaster preparedness, Fugate spent most of his time on the road, choosing to be as close to local responders as possible. Four years later, two things would change: Fugate would take over as head of Florida’s Division of Emergency Management, and the role of emergency managers across the country would dramatically change. A month before he took over the reins in Florida, he and Myers were in Big Sky, Mont., for a national meeting of emergency managers when news came that the World Trade Center had been the target of an aerial terrorist attack. Fugate immediately jumped into a leaderEver since the change of administrations, there has been a debate in Washington, DC ship role,Myers recalled. The challenge? Getting whether FEMA should remain within DHS or be returned to its former status as an indeemergency managers from Virginia, New York pendent agency. and FEMA back to their respective headquarters after commercial air travel had been grounded. Senate Homeland Security Committee Chairman Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.), “He just pushed back the tables and turned a strong proponent of keeping FEMA in DHS, put the question directly to Fugate at his that meeting room into an EOC [emergency April 22 confirmation hearing: “Do you think that FEMA should stay in DHS?” operations center],” Myers said. “Yes I do,” Fugate stated emphatically. “The next confirmed director needs to be Life would never be the same. Florida,which focused on the next disaster and as far as I’m concerned, that debate is over.” at the time was home to the president’s younger In his written testimony, Fugate elaborated: “FEMA is an integral part of [DHS’] all brother, was transformed almost immediately. hazards response. I am committed to working with my DHS colleagues to seek an When anthrax was discovered at a supermarket approach that assures us that when our state and local partners turn to the federal govtabloid’s headquarters in Hollywood,Fla.,in late ernment for support, FEMA has an effective, strong, timely and coordinated prepared2001, Fugate mobilized for similar attacks that ness, response and recovery effort to address both natural or man-made disasters.” never came. —David Silverberg In those first frantic weeks, further improve- The end of the FEMA debate We Make Credentials Work CoreStreet PIVMAN Solution for TWIC Compliance TWIC WIC WI C F C FRA FRA CA C PIV The CoreStreet PIVMAN Solution provides rapid verification of TWIC cardholders for unescorted access and the audit logs required by USCG. CoreStreet PIVMAN is TSA ICE list approved, also supports CAC, PIV and FRAC cards, is reimbursable under various DHS grant programs and links to existing PACS systems such as Lenel OnGuard®. Available on a range of Windows-based handhelds and PCs. To learn more about CoreStreet’s TWIC Compliance solutions visit www.corestreet.com/TWIC 28 June 2009 | Homeland Security Today Magazine This month’s issue is now available online at…2009-06-01T16:22:56+02:00http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=31http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=31Your team is here. Your objective is here. And the unexpected here. ° ° Everything you need to turn vision into action. Our expert geospatial intelligence services capture the decision-critical data you need. And when it matters most, GeoEye is committed to delivering high-resolution, map-accurate data to you on time, the first time. Whether you’re developing time-sensitive, special-operations or strategic plans, we help you assess the conditions on the ground for maximum insight when it really matters. Before you act. Image intelligence. Delivered intelligently. www.geoeye.com / def © 2009 GeoEye. All Rights Reserved.2009-06-01T16:22:56+02:00http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=32http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=32FROM FLORIDA TO FEMA ments were made to homeland security as Fugate and others fortified ports, agricultural shipments and airline traffic while establishing a centralized command structure to coordinate response. underbelly of the state. Wayne Sallade, Charlotte County emergency manager, remembered walking outside the morning after Hurricane Charley took a quick right and slammed into Port Charlotte, about 70 miles south of Tampa Bay, as a Category 4-strength storm in August 2004. Charley became the template upon which other hurricane responses would be judged. “We were ground zero and we were the Petri dish,” Sallade recalled. In the immediate aftermath, among the victims and local responders was an unexpected but not unwelcome face. Fugate was already there. Fugate would say later that valuable lessons were learned from Charley. Despite a deluge of aid pouring into the region, for example, local distribution of relief supplies was not as efficient as it could have been. As hurricanes Frances, Ivan and Jeanne rolled through, other flaws became apparent. Businesses, for example, were not in the response loop. As responders looked for distribution points, more than a few were set up in shopping mall parking lots, a stone’s throw from a nearbyWal-Mart, Kmart or major supermarket chain. Why not bring them and their vast distribution infrastructure and expertise into the response mix and let them do what they do best: take care of their employees and their customers? wondered Fugate. He gave major retailers a seat at the state’s hurricane response table. Over the course of two years, local responders, with Fugate’s support and state assistance, reduced response times and learned from their mistakes. They may have done too good a job. When ice and water weren’t immediately available after Hurricane Wilma hit Southeast Florida in October 2005, Fugate and Bush took heat Fugate goes to the show: The 2004 and 2005 hurricane seasons If anything could have prepared Fugate to run an agency facing multiple threats, the 2004 and 2005 hurricane seasons were just the ticket. Over the course of those two hurricane seasons, Florida was struck by seven hurricanes and three tropical storms. Fugate and then-Gov. Jeb Bush (R) would become nightly reminders to millions of television viewers who watched as Florida prepared and recovered from storms that hit in rapid succession at various points along more than 1,800 miles of coastline and up the The waffle house test In introducing Fugate at his April 22 Senate confirmation hearing, Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) recalled that Fugate taught him that one way to measure the impact of a hurricane is what Fugate called “the waffle house test.” “If after a hurricane there is power and water, then the waffle houses will be open,” said Nelson. “If they’re closed, it’s a bad situation and there’s no power or water. If they’re open but it only have a limited menu, it means that at some point the power was out and everything in the freezer spoiled.” —David Silverberg CIRCULA TION SUSCI FLUID RE TAT I O N PA C I N G You want to improve survival rates. ZOLL® wants to help. We know code events in military-unique environments are complex. We also believe that products and solutions that encompass multiple facets of resuscitation, and work as a system, can help you improve survival rates. You can feel confident that every ZOLL product provides superior performance independently, and as part of our vision of a fully integrated resuscitation system. And with our Guidelines Guarantee, you can be sure that our products will take you into the future. We invite you to join us, to the benefit of patients, in advancing resuscitation today, both in our homeland and to the forward edge. For more information contact your ZOLL Sales Representative, call 1-800-804-4356, or visit ww.zoll.com/homelandsecurity. E Series® AutoPulse® ZOLL® Infuser R Series® V E N T I L AT I O N D E F I B R I L L AT I O N D O C U M E N TAT I O N I N F O 2009-06-01T16:22:56+02:00http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=33http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=332009-06-01T16:22:56+02:00http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=34http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=34FROM FLORIDA TO FEMA from a citizenry lulled into complacency by tales of the state’s hurricane magic. “What we did was set unreasonable expectations in people’s minds,” Sallade said. “We’re good, but it’s not going to be instantaneous.” It wasn’t for want of trying. Fugate had spent the summer trying to get residents out of a victim mentality and into taking a more active role in their own survival. He, in fact, dropped the word “victim” from his public vocabulary. Increasingly,he challenged Floridians to look after themselves and each other, especially within the first 48 hours after a disaster. He continues that mantra today. During numerous public appearances together on the emergency management circuit, Mayfield said Fugate continues to hammer home the idea of preparedness and personal responsibility. “When people ask him if the state was prepared for the hurricane season, he often turns the question on its head,” Mayfield said. “He’d say: ‘Are you and your family prepared?’” Katrina hits and Fugate says “no” “The timing wasn’t right” was all Fugate would say when recently asked why he turned down the top job at FEMA to replace Michael Brown, the disgraced administrator who was fired in the wake of Katrina. Riding a wave of public confidence in his home state, Fugate pulled his name from consideration, saying publicly that he was needed and happy where he was. But the chaos that surrounded FEMA in the wake of Katrina was at least partially to blame. The fact that numerous emergency managers had already turned down the job didn’t help, either, Fugate told the NewYork Times. “To a lot of people, that would be an insult,” Fugate said. Though careful not to criticize fellow emergency responders publicly,in private Fugate was critical of the way local,state and federal officials were taken so flat-footed by such a calamity. After all, hurricanes,like Super Bowls,come with plenty of advanced notice and more than a modicum of hype. Asked about the mayhem and lawlessness that followed the levy breach in New Orleans, Fugate in 2005 noted that, when Katrina was threatening to make landfall in southeast Florida, a much more immediate response had already been set in motion. “We can tell you right now that to secure Miami-Dade (County) would take 6,000 National Guard troops,” Fugate said in a 2005 post-Katrina interview. “That’s our plan.” What to expect During testimony before the US House Committee on Homeland Security in May 2007, Fugate outlined what he called an “all-hazards” approach to disaster management, emphasizing that “all disasters are local” and response should be coordinated, as much as possible, from the ground up. An eight-page transcript of his testimony lays out a framework for emergency response tested in Florida and rethought after Hurricane Katrina. It provides a hierarchy of response that clearly states the role of the federal government in responding to disaster. “This team approach is imperative when addressing the federal role in responding to disasters,” Fugate told the committee. “It is important that the response from the federal level is [that] of 32 June 2009 | Homeland Security Today Magazine This month’s issue is now available online at…2009-06-01T16:22:56+02:00http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=35http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=35PHOTO BY DAVID BRODY FOR HOMELAND SECURITY TODAY FROM FLORIDA TO FEMA a supporting role [to] state and local emergency management; it cannot supplant these efforts.” Colleagues say they expect Fugate to refocus federal attention from immigration and homeland security issues to FEMA’s earlier mission of dealing with nature’s terrorists. If friends have any concerns over his future success—and there aren’t many—it’s whether the laid back and self-effacing leader can do what he does best given the often-Byzantine world of federal bureaucracy and Washington politics. Despite a national reputation and a slew of awards, friends and colleagues say the water-loving kayaker and die-hard University of Florida Gator football fan is now and forever more comfortable in a firehouse than the White House. “If they let Craig be Craig, everything’s going to be just fine,” said Myers, Fugate’s mentor and Florida emergency management predecessor. “He’s the best there is, and the country will benefit from it if they just let him do his job.” “He won’t succeed if he is not the Craig Fugate he was here in Florida,” Sallade agreed. “I think he will be.” Colleagues also say they expect Fugate to bring the lessons learned from Florida with him to the national stage. Topping the list will be the idea that citizens have a responsibility to look after themselves, their family and friends. “I am confident he will advance reforms that strengthen our nation’s preparedness and bottom-up approach to emergency management,” former Gov. Jeb Bush said after Fugate’s nomination. Fugate greets Sens. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine), the chairman and ranking member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, at his confirmation hearing. Analysis When considering Fugate’s potential direction for FEMA, one need only look at his efforts in Florida, where planning and practice have become the order of the day. “Through hurricanes and tornadoes and other natural disasters, Craig has been a steady and capable hand,” said current Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (R) upon Fugate’s nomination. “While he will be leaving his post here in Florida, we look forward to working with him at the federal level.” In the end, however, as much as one plans and prepares, catastrophes happen and even the most powerful nation in the world will stagger in their wake. “There is a tendency to think that we are a very sophisticated modern society and disasters shouldn’t be this inconvenient for those of us not directly impacted,” Fugate has said. “The reality is no nation is that well immune to catastrophic disaster.” HST Register online today for exclusive online content and eNewsletters Homeland Security Today Magazine | June 2009 332009-06-01T16:22:56+02:00http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=36http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=36© 2009 General Dynamics. All rights reserved.2009-06-01T16:22:56+02:00http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=37http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=37REUTERS/CARLOS BARRIA Workers begin the cleanup of Galveston, Texas in the wake of Hurricane Ike last October. HURRICANE SEASON 2009 By P H I L I P L E G G I E R E BUSINESS EDITOR A Better Way of Buying Register online today for exclusive online content and eNewsletters FEW FIRST RESPONDERS OR CITIZENS IN HURRICANE-PRONE STATES ARE LIKELY TO FORGET 2005, THE MOST ACTIVE ATLANTIC HURRICANE SEASON IN RECORDED HISTORY. While hurricanes Katrina and Rita made the global headlines that year, for John Cherry, director of external affairs for the Florida Division of Emergency Management, along with millions of other Floridians, it was Hurricane Wilma, which struck in October, that left the deepest imprint. “There had been increasing stresses on our state emergency supply network and distribution systems for several hurricane seasons,” Cherry told Homeland Security Today, “but the storm seasons of 2004 and 2005, where we had a slew of eight storms, pushed our old system beyond the limit, and the bottlenecks came to a head during Wilma. That was the straw that broke the camel’s back.” On Oct. 24, 2005,Wilma made landfall in South Florida as a Category 3 storm with 125 mph winds PREPAREDNESS PROCUREMENT FOR THE HURRICANE SEASON DOESN’T HAVE TO BE OVERLY BURDENSOME FOR GOVERNMENT BUDGETS— NEW TOOLS AND PROCEDURES CAN HELP. 35 Homeland Security Today Magazine | June 20092009-06-01T16:22:56+02:00http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=38http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=38A BETTER WAY OF BUYING and pounding waves and within a day caused massive power, phone and critical system outages statewide, which left close to 4 million people without power and communications for several days and—for hundreds of thousands—weeks afterward. Throughout the state, but especially in Florida’s southeastern counties of Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade, people scrambled in near panic to get hold of fast-dwindling supplies of food, water, ice and building supplies. For several days after the storm some emergency distribution centers were not operational and many of those that had opened were running out of supplies. Emergency supplies ran out at nine of Miami-Dade County’s 11 distribution centers, prompting citizen frustration and anger. Three days after the storm, one citizen waiting in a line at a Sam’s Club gas station in Miami spoke for many Floridians when she complained to the Associated Press: “This is like the Third World. We live in a state where we suffer from these storms every year. Where is the planning?” W. Craig Fugate, then director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management and today head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), acknowledged in the storm’s aftermath that preparedness had come up short. “We did not meet expectations,” he said at a press conference in the state capitol at Tallahassee. “We pushed as much as we could in a rapidly moving environment. No excuses. We’re going to work hard to make it better.” Fugate’s words were prophetic. The logistics bottlenecks and failures dramatized by Wilma, Cherry recalled, sparked a systemwide rethinking of the state’s approach to emergency procurement and logistics preparation. Reforming the procurement process “After Wilma,” Cherry recalled, “state leaders from Director Fugate to the state legislature directed a laser-like focus on troubleshooting how we went about the processes of emergency supply preparations and procurement and revamping how the procurement process and distribution logistics could be streamlined.” The lynchpins of the new approach, Cherry explained, were radical reform of the procurement contracting process and tighter statewide coordination of the functions of inventory auditing, management and control, logistics and distribution. The key to making a new system work, Cherry said, was focus on a procurement and contracting process that, unlike the previous system, was really proactive. “Traditionally,” said Cherry, “the approach was that we’d have a number of small warehouses, generally uncoordinated and fragmented throughout the state. Each of them would handle supply procurement and vendor relations separately, using different benchmarks and processes.” In place of this piecemeal approach, the state mandated that all supplier contracts for emergency supplies be pre-negotiated ahead of time, with emergency responsibilities explicitly spelled out. As Cherry described it, “Whenever a vendor responds to a request for proposal, by law they need to agree to guarantee provision of a particular amount of a certain resource within X amount of time specified in advance. In addition, the supplier must commit to having a regularly replenished stock of emergency supplies on hand at the center at all times. What that means is that, say, we have a water supplier who keeps 72 hours of emergency water supply. It becomes his responsibility to check inventory on that water every 30 days and take out any stock that’s passed its expiration date and replenish it with fresh water, at no cost to the state.” Of course, it’s one thing to sign a contract, another to demonstrate that these commitments can be kept in the heat of a crisis. To ensure vendor readiness, Florida state’s logistics Director Chuck Hagen, according to Cherry, uses frequent live drills to test the vendors’ capabilities in what he calls “no-notice thunderbolts.” “It’s one thing to have a vendor say he can respond in an immediate ‘just in time’ manner to an emerge2009-06-01T16:22:56+02:00http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=39http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=39A BETTER WAY OF BUYING early 2006 authorized the state to create a centralized response center in Orlando, a 200,000-square foot center where emergency resources from water to drugs to food could be stored. The center includes tarps and temporary shelter equipment, fuel, water, heat, drugs and other essentials, as well as important supplies like ice. The Florida State Logistics Response Center (SLRC), which was the first of its kind nationally, opened in early 2007. On hand at all times for any emergency at the site are 300 truckloads of bottled water, 54 truckloads of shelf-stable meals, 26 truckloads of tarps, 16 pallets of insect repellent, 5,080 cots and 5,080 bedding kits, and 350,000 hygiene kits. The goal of the center, according to Cherry, is to ensure “surge capacity” for providing essential supplies throughout the critical first 72 to 96 hours for a no-notice emergency exists at all times. “Our goal is to use planning and pre-positioned assets to speed the cycle from response to mitigation to recovery,” Cherry said. To coordinate this task, the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) contracted with St. Petersburg, Fla.-based transportation firm Interstate, to operate FDEM’s State Emergency Resource Management Network (SERMN), which is used to manage the state’s relief response efforts for major disasters. In the wake of a large-scale disaster, SERMN can provide “total asset visibility” to the FDEM decision makers who are coordinating the relief response effort, allowing them to see, in real time, the location and status of various resources they are directing. SERMN capabilities include resource acquisition, searching for resources locally and statewide, satellite tracking and resource geo-coding, ground, air and sea-lift transportation management, warehousing, bar-coding, shipping and receiving. Using this technology platform, FDEM runs a freight “Movement Coordination Center” at the SLRC, dispatching a full-time team to run freight operations before and after disaster events. The SLRC stores more than 400 truckloads of general commodities and disaster relief supplies. Using Interstate’s technology platform, according to Cherry, “the state EOC, staff and responders gain real time visibility regarding where commodities are and when they will arrive.” Florida’s reforms in logistics response are a harbinger of a new smart preparedness paradigm, according to Josh Filler, former director of the Office of State and Local Government Coordination at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and now president of Washington, DC-based Filler Security Strategies Inc. “There’s been a significant change in the model,” said Filler. “Rather than play a waiting game, the new construct is: Let’s all coordinate up front together.” “On the procurement side, the biggest change in the past few years has been the use of just-in-time contracts and pre-positioned storage of emergency assets,” Filler added. “You need to have vendors whose supply plans are set in place and pre-positioned for an emergency before one happens. You need to know who is supplying what, and how and when supplies will be delivered. And you need to have a backup plan set should any aspect of the plan be disrupted in the line of fire. For instance, if you’re relying on a local mom-and-pop shop and it turns out the shop is under water, what is Smarter, Faster, Cost-Effective Response. Deploy fire, hazmat and decontamination foams from a single system. Attain faster results and work smarter with Intelagard equipment. Our systems are easy to use and to maintain, it’s like buying three systems in one. Whether you need 350 or 20,000 gallons of finished foam, Intelagard has a system to fit your needs. Call us today to learn more about Intelagard’s wide range of systems. Intelagard systems were used to decontaminate the New Orleans Arena following hurricanes Katrina and Rita, while the military used them to fight fires in Iraq. FIRE DECON HAZMAT Call today for options and2009-06-01T16:22:56+02:00http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=40http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=40A BETTER WAY OF BUYING your backup? How else will you get ice replenished? The due diligence needs to be done up front. You need to peek behind the curtain.” Critical private sector collaboration UMUC HOMELAND SECURITY PROJECTED JOB GROWTH: 23% OVER THE NEXT DEC ADE. Global uncertainty and billions of federal stimulus dollars are creating thousands of jobs in homeland security. Be ready by enrolling in an undergraduate or graduate program in homeland security from University of Maryland University College (UMUC). UMUC’s unique curriculum goes beyond the hypothetical to provide practical, cutting-edge instruction. Enroll now. Call 800-888-UMUC or visit umuc.edu/getahead Copyright © 2009 University of Maryland University College One other big change in preparedness, Cherry said, has been that a priority is now being placed on getting the key suppliers of the public, the local retailers, back up and in operation far more quickly. “It’s one thing to use a Publix [a Florida-based supermarket chain] parking lot as a makeshift point of distribution for government supplies,” he explained, “but far more important to have that Publix actually open. So what we’ve done is now make sure that getting the roadways that make the big stores accessible is the top priority in emergency response. In addition, we made sure all the retailers have emergency generators. Both [Department of Transportation] and the Public Utilities Commission have instituted contingency plans to get retailers online with power and clear roads.” The changes instituted in Florida are reflective of a wider trend affecting the strategies of many other states. Another state at the forefront of efforts to improve emergency preparation through more streamlined procurement processes is Texas. After Hurricane Rita in 2005, the state’s Division of Emergency Management began to implement a strategy of reaching out to large private sector retailers as planning partners in the disaster preparation process, developing relationships with a broad range of private sector channels before an incident occurs. Large retailers, including Wal-Mart, H-E-B and Home Depot, became an integral part of the state’s emergency preparation team, with retailers developing advance commitments to provide critical supplies for residents in communities affected by a catastrophic event. An interesting example of new approaches to public-private collaboration in emergency preparedness is Rx Response, a free public service that works with the American Red Cross, the departments of Health and Human Services and Homeland Security and state officials to share information to help support the continuing provision of medi- 38 June 2009 | Homeland Security Today Magazine This month’s issue is now available online at…2009-06-01T16:22:56+02:00http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=41http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=41BREATHE EASY. The Extended Response Team (XRT) suit is the ultimate combination of protection and mission time. Equip your team with confidence and enhanced response capability from the trusted leader in protective fabrics. The quick-donning XRT suit gets your team to operations sooner with one-piece design and no taping. Breathable GORE® CHEMPAK® Selectively Permeable Fabric reduces heat and moisture buildup, allowing your team to stay on the scene for up to eight hours. The XRT suit is the only breathable single mission certified CB suit for perimeter response – certified to the NFPA 1994, Class 3 standard. Visit our website for more information on the new XRT suit and other suits using Gore’s innovative fabrics. THE NEW XRT SUIT – AVAILABLE NOW. www.GoreChempak.com/XRT W. L. G ORE & A SSOCIATES , I NC . Technical Fabrics 800.431.GORE (4673) CHEMPAK, GORE and designs are trademarks of W. L. Gore & Associates ©2009 W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc. Warning: No products, including garments, footwear or handwear, offer absolute protection, even when new, and their protective performance will decline with wear, tear, abrasion, and other damage associated with use.2009-06-01T16:22:56+02:00http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=42http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=42A BETTER WAY OF BUYING cines to patients during a severe public health emergency. Rx Response’s partners include the drug and biotechnology manufacturing and distribution industries, as well as hospitals and community pharmacies. As Hurricane Ike made landfall near Galveston, Texas, Rx Response intensified its activities. Key actions included facilitating information flow about pharmacy re-openings to federal and state officials and alerting federal and Texas emergency management officials about a pharmaceutical distribution center in Stafford, Texas, at risk of running out of diesel fuel for its generators, which potentially threatened to spoil the medicines stored there. Other emergency functions carried out by Rx Response included disseminating information regarding emergency protocols for credentialing and providing access to impacted areas for workers supporting critical infrastructure restoration, providing temporary licensing provisions for out-of-state healthcare providers responding to the disaster and emergency prescription authorizations for evacuees and others impacted by disasters. region to act as facilitators. “In the past,” she said, “it was really more a question of states and localities handling emergencies, and then if/when they found they were overwhelmed, the federal government would ‘swoop’ in.What we’ve learned is that coordination and integration of planning and response is something you have to build from the grassroots.” One means of better coordinating state preparedness strategies, while maintaining flexibility for local autonomy, according to FEMA Acting Assistant Administrator for Disaster Operations Robert Francis Powers, has been the development of a “gap analysis,” which is a diagnostic tool to enable each state to assess its capabilities in emergency response across all the key disciplines, from logistics to procurement to asset and inventory management to evacuation. The “gap analysis” was inaugurated for the 2007 hurricane season to provide FEMA and its partners, at both the state and local levels in the hurricane-prone regions along the Atlantic and the Gulf coasts, with a snapshot of asset gaps to determine the level of federal support potentially needed in responding to a Category 3 hurricane. Seven critical areas were incorporated for review in the gap analysis tool in order to better understand asset response gaps in debris removal, commodity distribution, evacuation, sheltering, interim housing, medical needs and fuel capacity along evacuation routes. The goal of the self-assessment tests, according to Powers, is to have states do an ongoing self-assessment for continuous improvement, with FEMA as an active resource providing guidelines and benchmarks. “The dialog has to be happening all the time,” he said, “not just when the crisis unfolds.” In addition to self-assessment, FEMA provides states with a guide to setting up distribution points and offers a state-oriented training course. “We went out and looked at best practices in every area,” Powers said. “The object is to enable states to have an informed perspective on exactly what areas need to receive the most investment and to have the data they need to figure out how to prioritize their budgets. The actual investments are their responsibility.” FEMA’s key document outlining current strategic thinking for the federal government’s own approach to preparations procurement is the SLG 101: Guide for All-Hazard Emergency Operations Planning (http://www.fema.gov/pdf/plan/slg101.pdf), published on May 28, 2008. The document represents a key shift, according to Powers, in its increased commitments to forming private sector partnerships by locating expert contractors who will be in charge of acquiring, storing and moving emergency supplies. Critical to making this logistics strategy work is anticipating the need for disaster response supplies and services and having contracts in place to support response activities before a disaster occurs.2009-06-01T16:22:56+02:00http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=43http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=43A BETTER WAY OF BUYING disaster incident response. FEMA’s IMAT concept of operations places the teams in the FEMA Disaster Operations Directorate. Working with program offices, the reorganized, larger OAM had close to 70 pre-positioned contracts and interagency agreements in place at the beginning of the 2008 hurricane season. Thanks in large measure to these supplier contracts, when Hurricane Gustav made landfall in southwest Louisiana on Sept. 1, 2008, FEMA was successfully able to pre-stage lifesaving and lifesustaining commodities such as water, meals and tarps in various strategic locations. These included more than 2.4 million liters of water (137 truckloads), more than 4 million meals (203 truckloads), 478 emergency generators, 141 truckloads of tarps and 267 truckloads of blankets and cots. Going forward, the agency plans to address areas of weakness identified in audits of its acquisition processes. In February 2009, the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) of DHS, in a report titled FEMA’s Implementation of Best Practices in the Acquisition Process (http://www.dhs.gov/xoig/assets/mgmtrpts/OIG_09-31_ Feb09.pdf), found that, despite clear progress in its procurement initiatives, FEMA’s partners’ inventories still lack full visibility, increasing the risk that it will make unsound purchasing decisions based on incomplete information. Another major goal is to improve FEMA’s inventory tracking system to enable automated tracking of all FEMA inventories via barcodes; integrating FEMA logistics with FEMA financial and procurement databases; and tracking partners’ disaster response inventories, inventory locations and planned purchases. Ward is optimistic that continuing improvement in all these areas will enable FEMA not only to accelerate its response to disasters but to partner more effectively with states and locales in bettering their acquisition and logistics systems. “Procurement is an area we’re learning the hard way,” she acknowledged. “We learned it is absolutely essential to have prenegotiated commitments and absolutely set responsibilities. Procurement needs to be ironed out on the ground, and you need people who are expert at writing up and negotiating contracts way ahead of time, so details aren’t left to improvising in the heat of the moment.” Analysis Over the past generation, Americans (perhaps unlike any before them in history) have grown accustomed to the comforting (but naive) expectation that their access to an uninterrupted supply of the conveniences and necessities of life is immune from the vicissitudes of nature. Katrina, Rita and other major storms of the past few years have served as a wake-up call for many Americans of the actual precariousness of the “always-on” supply networks they take for granted. In reality, those networks are in need of constant attention to ensure their resilience in a crisis. These disasters also exposed the weakness and obsolescence of traditional procurement, supply and logistics networks and the models of hurricane preparation on which they were based. Federal, state and local emergency officials are painfully aware of that precariousness and its associated vulnerabilities. Steady improvements have been made throughout the system. This year’s hurricane season will show the world the state of those improvements’ effectiveness and resilience. HST DIGNIFIED BURIAL FOR DISASTER EVENTS All natural wood Ships & stores flat TM Assembles without tools When the system is overwhelmed, the Everybody Coffin provides response organizations a traditional approach to burying the deceased. At under $200, the Everybody Coffin is a functional, affordable way to provide dignified burial during disaster recovery. TM For more information on the Eveybody Coffin please call 1-800-355-4628 or visit dqeready.com/everybody ©2009 DQE, Inc. TM Ready now for what’s next.™ Everybody TM Coffin MC4042 Register online today for exclusive online content and eNewsletters Homeland Security Today Magazine2009-06-01T16:22:56+02:00http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=44http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=442009-06-01T16:22:56+02:00http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=45http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=45BRUNO LE SOURD/IMAGES.COM MASS NOTIFICATION Social Networks to the Rescue By M I C K E Y M c C A R T E R WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT SOPHIA LIU, A DOCTORAL STUDENT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO AT BOULDER, WAS EVACUATED FROM HER HOME DUE TO A WILDFIRE IN BOULDER ON JAN. 7. BUT LIU WASN’T AN ORDINARY EVACUEE. AS A STUDENT, SHE STUDIED TECHNOLOGY AND MEDIA, RESEARCHING CRISIS INFORMATICS, WHICH INVOLVES EXAMINING COMMUNICATIONS FOR DISASTER PREPARATION, RESPONSE AND RECOVERY INFORMATION. Liu used her skills in communicating via social media—or information published through accessible and scalable Internet or mobile communications technologies—to update other victims of the wildfire with relevant information. US federal officials, realizing the power of social media communications,have been trying to engage individuals like Liu to spread news during disasters, in addition to providing information through its own social media feeds. “Since I’m quite familiar with how people use social media sites like Twitter during a major crisis situation, I decided to put my knowledge of these emerging behaviors into practice when the Boulder fire occurred,” Liu told Homeland Security Today. “I suddenly became a participant in my own research and began to experience what it was like to be evacuated from my home and potentially have all my possessions burned.” Liu used Twitter to provide updates using sources ranging from Boulder County’s online official press releases,to general media news stories,to word-of-mouth updates from her social network of friends. Liu created a tag on Twitter that allowed people to follow her updates quickly and easily as she “tweeted” new information. “My motivation for tweeting this information was to help collate information about the Boulder fire and share it through Twitter. I began feeling the frustration of finding just little bits of information about the Boulder fire online and wanted to have it all in one place,” she recalled. TOOLS INITIALLY DESIGNED FOR MAKING FRIENDS IN CYBERSPACE ARE TRANSFORMING EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT IN NEW AND UNEXPECTED WAYS. 43 Register online today for exclusive online content and eNewsletters Homeland Security Today Magazine | June 20092009-06-01T16:22:56+02:00http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=46http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=46SOCIAL NETWORKS TO THE RESCUE Officials at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) noticed how quickly Liu was disseminating information, as well as how quickly she gathered a following on Twitter. Due to her effectiveness, the agency decided to supply information directly to her so that she, in turn, could share it with her network. “We were looking at her network and we said,‘Hey,this person has some great information,’” John Shea,a FEMA public information officer specializing in new media, said during remarks in March at a forum on Federal Agency Social Media-Crisis Communication in Washington, DC. “We can’t say it’s verified but she was doing a lot of research on her own.” So FEMA decided to leverage Liu’s network and push information about the federal government’s response to the wildfire to her so that she could tweet it to her contacts, Shea told Homeland Security Today. FEMA has been seeking such ways to interact with the public through social media and enabling people to spread official information through tweets, blogs and other networks—whether those people are pleased with the effectiveness of FEMA’s response or not. “For better or worse, you’re interested in this information,” Shea declared. “How can I get my information, which I know is verified, into your hands so that you can discuss it?You can pick it apart. I want people to pick it apart. The worst thing we could do is not engage people who are negative toward us. All that does is encourage them to say, ‘Well, I told you government is not listening.’” land Security Today. The Chinese government employs individuals known collectively as the 50 Cent Army, which consists of 50,000 astrosurfers, who are political or public relationsWeb surfers out to support or market their cause. They literally receive 50 cents in pay for every positive comment they write in support of the Chinese Communist Party for any situation in online conversations. The government of Iran is gearing up to duplicate the effort. Although US federal agencies may not have interest in such propaganda, it is important for them to follow social media conversations and engage in them to meet the needs of victims in a disaster,according to Mishra. The United States also could learn from situations like the Mumbai terrorist attacks of November 2008, where victims communicated quickly through social media sites while the Indian government was helpless to engage them. “In Mumbai,what happened is what is going to happen in any crisis situation going forward,” said Mishra. “Pretty much anywhere in the world, if people capture information on their phone, they either could send it out as an SMS [short message service] or a text message, or they could take a photograph and upload on a service like Flickr or Kwik, a live video service.” Indeed, services like Ushahidi, which started in Kenya early last year, allow anyone to gather distributed data via SMS or the Internet and depict information on a map or a timeline for use in a crisis situation (www.ushahidi.com). While Ushahidi specifically provides representations of disaster-related events,everyday social media sites like Twitter and Flickr can provide critically important information about what is happening in a disaster situation. In Mishra’s view, the first step for government agencies is to monitor such information as it becomes available. The second step is to engage in conversations to direct people away from wrong informa- Tracking the conversation Government agencies globally are generally doing a poor job of using social media in a disaster, said Gaurav Mishra, the Yahoo! Fellow in International Values, Communications, Technology and Global Internet at Georgetown University. The countries that are doing the best with it currently are China and Iran,Mishra told Home- SENSAPHONE REMOTE MONITORING SOLUTIONS ® P ROTECT Y OUR: EMERGENCY RESPONSE CENTER VACCINE STORAGE DATA CENTER COMPUTER ROOM OTHER CRITICAL FACILITIES Notification Via: Monito2009-06-01T16:22:56+02:00http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=47http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=47SOCIAL NETWORKS TO THE RESCUE tion or to provide accurate information through public diplomacy. “It’s good to track these conversations, especially in a natural disaster crisis that occurs over such a big area that no news organization can realistically deploy journalists, especially in an area like China, where a big news organization would have only a few reporters. They could not realistically cover what is happening,” she commented. Indeed, not only did social media play a big role in the response to an earthquake in China in May 2008 but it plays a role in ongoing recovery efforts for Hurricane Katrina,as well. In both areas,bloggers and others have posted information on areas that remain devastated by the disaster, drawing scrutiny of government recovery actions. “I don’t think that governments are engaging in those conversations and listening to them right now, but they should,” Mishra said. “We don’t want to create new messages. We want to support the messages of others in a larger communications model,” Shea commented. FEMA also has prescribed concepts of operations it must follow. When a disaster occurs,the agency has a checklist to follow,depending upon the nature and scope of the disaster. “It takes a lot of time for somebody to say, ‘Yes, go out and communicate about it,’” Shea pointed out. “So as public affairs officers, it’s very hard to get information to individuals who need it about what we are doing in a timely way. We have to wait for cycles to happen before we can put out any kind of information. “Social media involves more immediate communications,” he continued. “We want to be able to put out valuable information and not just a lot of fluff to keep people pacified.” The speed of government The US federal government is not renowned for the speed with which it generally communicates, FEMA’s Shea said at the social media forum. Many communications require the input of stakeholders in a disaster and sometimes approval by federal lawyers, while communication via social media occurs instantaneously. Still, FEMA has moved relatively aggressively to decentralize communication via social media in order to make disaster information local and more effective. “We wanted to make sure that, when we set up social media into our communications plan, they have the ability in the field to do these kinds of communications and that it wasn’t several people sitting in cubicles in DC doing everything,” Shea stated. “The idea was that they need to be empowered in the field. When we started off with Twitter and we started off with YouTube, we wanted to make sure that it could be expandable.” As a result,each of the 10 FEMA Regions has its own Twitter accounts,as does the US Fire Administration. FEMA headquarters gave them all common branding so that the public could recognize them as official government channels of communication, but the regions reached out to local media and local communities to build their networks. FEMA officials also want to be careful not to clutter the conversation in a disaster,Shea cautioned. Often, state and local authorities already are putting out emergency information—and FEMA has nothing to add to it. The same is true with other federal agencies. If good emergency information already is coming from other sources,FEMA might provide the best service possible by staying out of the conversation or “re-tweeting” information from those sources. Join the FusionX CORE launch at the Microsoft booth at the ESRI® User Conference Public Safety Showcase. July 13 – 17, 2009 San Diego your Fusion Center capabilities Have you always wanted your Fusion Center to improve its information sharing capabilities and security? Introducing Microsoft® FusionX CORE — a ready-to-go hardware and software solution that can help any Fusion Center produce actionable intelligence — quickly and easily with enhanced security. Whether your center requires rapid intelligence and information management, data visualization, or cutting-e2009-06-01T16:22:56+02:00http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=48http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=48SOCIAL NETWORKS TO THE RESCUE Hurricane season With the start of the 2009 hurricane season, federal agencies have been making use of social media to warn Americans of any hurricane emergencies. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have taken the lead on emergency communications for hurricane preparedness, said Richard Stapleton, deputy director of the Web Communications and New Media Division at the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS),during the March social media forum. CDC has been taking emergency communications principles and combining them withWeb usability principles to facilitate delivering emergency messages to the public regarding hurricanes. It has applied the same model to its social media outreach. “We have done a lot of work on natural disasters in social media over the past few years,” Stapleton said. “A couple of years ago, we started a hurricane ‘Tip of the Week’ campaign, where we posted a tip of the week that was a risk communication message on our hurricane homepage. We sent that message out each week during hurricane season through e-mail and text message. It’s tough to think of a 140-character actionable message for the public.” Eventually,however,31,000 subscribers were receiving the notices via e-mail and text by CDC’s last count. A similar winter Tip of the Week goes out to 34,000 subscribers via e-mail and text to date, and to another 1,600 subscribers via Twitter. During National HurricaneWeek at the end of May,CDC and HHS planned to launch widgets that provided users with the hurricane tip A Homeland Security Today Investigative of the week.Web users can re-post the code of these widgets on any other website, and HHS will update the information regularly for the readers of those websites. “Social media is more than about how we reach out to the public and educate the public. It’s also about the public talking to us. That’s sometimes difficult for the federal government to execute. It’s also about the public talking to the public,” Stapleton observed. “One thing we have been working on a lot at CDC is disaster preparedness e-cards,” he said. “We have several available already on the website, so the public can encourage friends and family to take disaster preparedness steps. By June, we will have several available for every type of disaster. During National Hurricane Week, we will be launching a dozen specifically devoted to hurricanes.” While it is important to communicate to those affected by a disaster, CDC also should reach out to those who are unaffected—particularly those who stay in touch through social media networks, observed Stapleton. “These are people who are a little bit more engaged in emergency preparedness. They are somewhat more interested,” he remarked. “So for us to dismiss them as ‘the worried well’ or to not engage them, we are letting down on our end of the bargain. We are missing an opportunity to take advantage of that there. “I would say we should be helping the affected to stay and respond and recover during a crisis, but also to help the unaffected to prepare for future crises if they are trying to engage us,and to really use them as evangelists for the current response. Social media really offer a unique opportunity for us to spread the word virally using the unaffected as evangelists for our Series cause,” he concluded. SAVAGE STRUGGLE on the Analysis The use of social media in emergency communications is still very much in its early phases. Federal,state and local authorities are still figuring out how to best harness the power of social media for mass notification in a disaster,Tim Tinker,co-director of BoozAllen Hamilton’s Center of Excellence for Risk and Crisis Communications, told Homeland Security Today. “We are slowly getting a better idea through each of these experiences, whether it is a Mumbai or Hurricane Gustav, as to how we can harness it as part of the overall response,” Tinker stated. “The points of distribution are much larger t2009-06-01T16:22:56+02:00http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=49http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=49www.HSToday.us why we write… to provide insight and provoke discussion We started Homeland Security Today to deliver objective, non-partisan insight and analysis on the topics of critical importance to those securing our homeland. Homeland Security Today has evolved into the premier homeland security media provider, creating a forum in which government leaders and HS professionals share their knowledge. Anthony Placido, intelligence chief for the DEA, references Homeland Security Today during his testimony at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in March 2009 on the violence at the southern border. that bring about change With a first class team of editors and international correspondents, we provide award-winning journalism—in print and online—that has changed our industry. Rep. Curt Weldon (R-Pa.) read from a Homeland Security Today article about US trauma care preparedness at a Capitol Hill press conference in May 2004. for a safe and secure homeland Subscribe to magazine We put homeland security news at your fingertips through our print magazine, new digital publication, website and e-newsletters. Turn to Homeland Security Today for the information you need. Homeland Security Today is a proud recipient of multiple ASBPE Awards for editorial excellence in print and online 2007 CentralSoutheast Region 2007 CentralSoutheast Region 2005 CentralSoutheast Region 2005 CentralSoutheast Region Bronze Special Section Bronze Special Supplement Silver Special Section Bronze Regular Department Visit our website View the digital publication Sign up for e-newsletters2009-06-01T16:22:56+02:00http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=50http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=50TOOLS&TECHNOLOGY Quest Technologies introduces the EVM-3 and EVM-4 environmental monitors Quest Technologies, Oconomowoc, Wis., a 3M company, has introduced the EVM-3 and EVM-4 to its environmental monitoring series of instrumentation. The EVM-3 is optimized for particulate concentration measurement and provides real time direct reading of particulate concentrations, along with temperature and relative humidity measurements.The EVM-4 offers parameters specific to indoor air quality analysis and is designed for comprehensive analysis of indoor air and simultaneously monitors and logs toxic gas, carbon dioxide, relative humidity and temperature. Additionally, the EVM-4 offers calculation of room air exchange rates with carbon dioxide trending algorithms for in-depth air quality evaluation (Source: Quest Technologies) Hurricane anchor system patented by Colligo Marine The US Patent Office has granted Colligo Marine, Mesa, Ariz., Patent Number 7,516,713 for a hurricane anchor system that helps boat owners anchor their vessels securely in high winds and waves. The Colligo system allows for the placement of three anchors on a swivel and three lines back to the boat. The boat can then swivel on the anchors without getting anchor chains and lines twisted around each other. The minimum breaking strength for the heavy-duty system is over 30,000 lbs. It comes with galvanized bridle plates, shackles and a swivel. Mono and multi-hull models are available. The Colligo Marine hurricane anchor system is distributed by Taylor Made Products as the Storm Surge Anchor System and is available at marine retailers across the United States. (Source: Colligo) General Dynamics develops preparation, response, recovery and collaboration toolkit General Dynamics Information Technology (GDIT), a business unit of General Dynamics, Fairfax, Va., has expanded its homeland security product line to support the emergency management community. Employing the same concepts used in the defense sector, GDIT developed the Preparation, Response, Recovery and Collaboration (PR2C) Toolkit. The PR2C Toolkit combines information technology and infrastructure data displayed in an interactive, three-dimensional visualization with integrated decision aids. It is designed to enable emergency management officials, first responders, community managers and other agencies to train together with a single, common application to proactively anticipate and manage natural and man-made disasters. Combining known facts with precision displays of terrain and corresponding infrastructure overlays allows decisionmakers to select the most effective course of action, direct response teams to the scene and coordinate initial and follow-on support. By sharing visual and verbal information in near-real time, local authorities can collaborate not only with their response teams but also with regional, state and federal agencies. (Source: GDIT) 48 June 2009 | Homeland Security Today Magazine This month’s issue is now available online at…2009-06-01T16:22:56+02:00http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=51http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=51Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics introduces HAZMAT suit Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics, Merrimack, NH, a producer of high performance materials, has introduced a new flame-resistant HAZMAT suit, the ONESuit Pro, certified to both National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1991: Standard on Vapor-Protective Ensembles for Hazardous Materials Emergencies, and NFPA 1994: Standard on Protective Ensembles for First Responders to CBRN Terrorism Incidents. Saint-Gobain’s patent-pending CoreTech Barrier Membrane technology is designed to enable the light, under 10-pound ONESuit Pro to deliver the highest levels of protection against chemical and biological agents in both liquid and vapor form. Its single-skin design is engineered for maneuverability and user comfort in the most challenging environments. (Source: Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics) Genetec releases latest version of Synergis IP access control solution Genetec, Saint-Laurent, Canada, a provider of Internet protocol (IP) security solutions, has announced the release of Synergis 2.1, the latest version of its IP access control security solution. The most significant addition to Synergis 2.1 is the enhancement of the Badge Designer feature, which now supports additional barcode formats for broader application needs. Customers will also be able to take advantage of new editing features, such as more advanced picture cropping capabilities, as well as the ability to export pictures, all geared toward making the management of cardholder pictures and the production of badges as efficient and flexible as possible. (Source: Genetec) JULY 28-30, 2009 | Miami Beach, USA Where security, fire, and life safety leaders converge AFSE is the One Place to Find Innovation. AFSE is the centralized place for leaders from Latin America, the Caribbean Islands and the Southeast United States to gather for professional development, networking, new ideas, and product innovations. When you attend AFSE, you get a cost-effective way to secure knowledge and ideas and establish relationships that will benefit you throughout the year. New & Improved for 2009: Focused program content for a wide variety of facility types with a special session on airport/seaport security Seminars and professional development courses on fire protection; hazard management; and business continuity planning and design High-level training sessions for personal and executive protection Interested in Exhibiting? Our Expo delivers you prime access to decision-makers from numerous countries all in one place. Plan now. For more information on enrolling in the conference, exhibiting, or to register for the expo, visit NFPA.org/AFSE. National Association of Hispanic Firefighters 14th Annual International Training Conference to be held in conjunction The latest products for integrators, distributors, installers and end users on display presented by endorsed by NFPA.org/AFSE Register online today for exclusive online content and eNewsletters Homeland Security Today Magazine | June 2009 492009-06-01T16:22:56+02:00http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=52http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=52HSToday HOMELAND SECURITY INSIGHT & ANALYSIS ™ ADVERTISER INDEX 20 31 49 32 28 6 41 C2 ADT www.adt.com/government AeroVironment www.avinc.com America’s Fire & Safety Expo www.NFPA.org/AFSE Combat Medical Systems www.combatmedicalsystems.com Corestreet www.corestreet.com/TWIC DHS Technologies, LLC reevesems.com/pandemic DQE www.dqeready.com/everybody DRS Technologies www.drs.com GEICO www.YoungFeds.org 33 34 29 General Dynamics C4 Systems www.gdc4s.com/rescue21 14 GeoEye www.geoeye.com/def 2 12 5 Global Security Systems www.ALERTFM.com U.S. General Services Administration www.gsa.gov/securitysolutions Harris RF Communications talkasone.com/HST C4 42 37 17 45 25 ICX Technologies www.icxt.com 36 Intelagard www.intelagard.com 38 John Deere www.johndeere.com 18 Microsoft www.microsoft.com/fusion C3 Northrop Grumman www.northropgrumman.com/ homeland security Protech www.protecharmored.com RSDecon www.RSDecon.com SAIC www.saic.com/radar 40 39 30 44 8 13 10 Sensaphone www.sensaphone.com Siemens www.siemens.com/answers Sprint www.sprint.com/nextel Technical Communities www.technicalcommunities.com Tex-Shield www.tex-shield.com UMUC www.umuc.edu/getahead USAMobility www.usamobility.com/whitepaper Verizon www.verizonwireless.com/gov Versi-Panel Enclosures www.versi-panelenclosures.com W. L Gore & Associates www.GoreChempak.com/XRT ZOLL Medical Corp. zoll.com/homelandsecurity Publisher Kimberley S. Hanson-Brown khanson@HSToday.US Associate Publisher/Sales Director Linda Andersen landersen@HSToday.US Sales Assistant Shannon Webb 1-800-503-6506 swebb@HSToday.US Public Relations & Marketing Director Sue Stott 1-800-503-6506 suestott@HSToday.US Tradeshow Manager Lynn Perciasepe PHONE: 772-708-4649 FAX: 772-334-4271 lynnp@HSToday.US ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVES National Accounts Linda Andersen PHONE: 978-448-3932 FAX: 978-448-5745 landersen@HSToday.US Southern US Karen Gaconnier PHONE: 631-793-0182 FAX: 866-503-5758 kgaconnier@HSToday.US Northern US Lisa Pavlock PHONE: 540-349-9794 FAX: 540-349-9791 lpavlock@HSToday.US Israel Dan Erlich PHONE: 972-9-9586 245 FAX: 972-9-9585 685 d_erlich@netvision.net.il 22 TRADESHOW CIRCUIT June 1-3 SecurePort 2009 Detroit, Michigan www.secureportamericas.com Find more events and details online at www.HSToday.us July 28-30 America's Fire & Security Expo Miami Beach Convention Center www.nfpa.org/afse MEDIA PARTNER 17-19 2009 Land & Marine Supply Chains Business Conference Columbus, OH www.ndia.org September 21-23 2009 ASIS Anaheim, CA www.asisonline.org 8-10 NFPA Conference & Expo Chicago, IL www.nfpa.org/conference SHOW ENDORSER August 3-5 The Computer Forensics Show San Jose, CA www.computerforensicsshow.com 15-17 2009 Biodefense & Pandemics Vaccines and Therapeutics Conf. Washington, DC www.infocastinc.com MEDIA PARTNER October 13-14 World Security Congress New York City www.scworldcongress.com MEDIA PARTNER 9-12 2009 NCCP Conference Arlington, VA www.iaem.com/NCCP2009.htm Account Executive Michelle Flynn PHONE: 434-242-3928 FAX: 408-228-0759 mflynn@hstoday.us © Copyright 2009 HSToday All rights reserved 20-21 17-18 National Disaster Reconstruction Expo New Orleans, LA www.ndrexpo.com 8th Annual Maritime Security Expo Long Beach, CA www.ejkevents.com 11-12 Midwest Security & Police Conference/Expo Rosemont, IL www.mspce.com MEDIA PARTNER 21-23 Indesec Expo 2009 New Dehli, India www.indesec-expo.com 22-24 Countering IED's 2009 London, UK www.iqpc.co.uk 23-25 2009 Joint CBRN Conference & Exhibition Fort Leonard, MO www.ndia.org 16-20 APCO 75th Annual Conference & Expo Las Vegas, Nevada www.apco2009.org MEDIA PARTNER 31Nov. 3 EMEX 2009 Orlando, FL www.iaem.com MEDIA PARTNER 2007 CentralSoutheast Region 2007 CentralSoutheast Region 2005 CentralSoutheast Region 2005 CentralSoutheast Region Bronze Special Section Bronze Special Supplement Silver Special Section Bronze Regular Department 50 June 2009 | www.HSToday.us2009-06-01T16:22:56+02:00http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=53http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=53COMING IN JULY The Fight for Cyber Turf Who should run the nation’s cybersecurity apparatus? ALSO IN JULY COMING IN AUGUST… The Flu Next Time We may have gotten off easy in the Spring—but are we prepared for another outbreak in the Fall? Guns, Gangs and Ghazis Are ghazis—jihadist holy warriors—gunrunners and urban gangs coming together? A groundbreaking investigative report. From Pawns to Partners In the past, the federal government had a habit of dictating policy to state and local jurisdictions. That’s changing as states and locals get more of a say in their homeland security—and become more effective. National Guard The role of the National Guard in homeland security. Interoperability Industry’s view of DHS’ handling of interoperability issues. When Peanuts Became Poison A look at the peanut/salmonella and other food alerts: what went right, what went wrong and where we go from here. Also: Responders Today: Computers and peripherals Agency Spotlight: GSA Also: Responders Today: Seattle, Wash. Agency Spotlight: Health & Human Services To advertise in this issue, call 1-800-503-6506 or email dyoung@HSToday.us2009-06-01T16:22:56+02:00http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=54http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=54LEADERSHIP PROFILE BY DAVID SILVERBERG MICHAEL CHERTOFF HAS BEEN A LAWYER, PROSECUTOR, JUDGE AND SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY. NOW HE’S ADDING A NEW CREDIT: ENTREPRENEUR. That’s because after leaving government service with the change in administrations in January, Chertoff decided to form his own firm: The Chertoff Group. And what a firm it is—in addition to Chertoff himself, there are currently five other principals: Michael Hayden, former director of both the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the National Security Agency (NSA); Paul Schneider, former deputy secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and former NSA acquisition director; Jay Cohen, a retired admiral and former head of DHS Science & Technology; Charles Allen, former head of DHS Intelligence and CIA collections; and Chad Sweet, a former Goldman Sachs banker and government official. “The idea is that we wanted to bring together a really unparalleled team of experienced homeland security architects and people who could look at the issue of homeland security as broadly as possible, including the intelligence side, the acquisition side, the technology side, the policy side and the operations side,” said Chertoff. “And among the six of us, we pretty much have all of those things.” know, you’re looking at this, but you’re not looking at this.’” That’s where The Chertoff Group can contribute: “Because of the breadth of our experience and skill set in the area, I think we bring a special perspective to those kinds of problems.” Private life Chertoff seems genuinely relieved and somewhat liberated to be a private citizen again, and during this interview he was animated and very talkative. We met without handlers or an entourage — just the two of us in a conference room at the offices of the law firm of Covington & Burling inWashington, DC, where Chertoff is “of counsel,” having worked for the firm prior to resuming government service in 2001. Asked if there was anything he missed about being out of government, Chertoff replied: “Well,I used to be able to cut through the White House to be able to get from 17th Street over to 14th Street, and I can’t do that any more—I can’t do it in my car.” But then he became serious: “Less facetiously, it was a great privilege serving the country.We got to work on enormously consequential things with really bright, committed people, and I treasure that experience. “I’m a believer that turnover is a good thing. It’s good for the individual because you get to recharge your batteries, and it’s good for the government because you get fresh perspectives. So, from my perspective, I felt fulfilled in my four years as Cabinet secretary, and I was in the right place to move on to do something else.” But history is not at an end and neither is the need for homeland security. “I get asked the question sometimes: ‘Don’t you think that people are not going to want to invest in homeland security because it doesn’t go to the bottom line?’” he noted, observing, “Nothing wipes out the bottom line more quickly than a disaster, whether it’s an act of terror or a significant criminal event, a cyber attack, or an actual disaster or a medical disaster. So it’s like putting your money in the bank and getting an insurance policy. If you want to protect your assets, which I think goes very much to the bottom line, you’ve got to make sure you have your security protected.” HST Editor’s note: To read the full transcript of the interview with Michael Chertoff, go to www.HSToday.us. MICHAEL CHERTOFF Chairman and Founding Principal The Chertoff Group “The idea is that we wanted to bring together a really unparalleled team of experienced homeland security architects and people who could look at the issue of homeland security as broadly as possible…” have a pretty good feel for how to look at problems end-to-end and then to anticipate problems,” he said. Chertoff Group principals can evaluate technologies in the context of the overall mission and an2009-06-01T16:22:56+02:00http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=55http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=55We bring both the continuity and the operation. COOP planning is hardly the time to incur the risk that comes with an unproven provider. As America’s largest and most reliable 3G network, we bring the talent, technology and experience your COOP planning initiatives require. By integrating voice and data solutions, our customers are aligning the technology, the support and the products necessary to strengthen key links in their mobility chain and deploy with con dence. Find out how Verizon Wireless can assist your COOP planning. Click www.verizonwireless.com/gov Call 800.657.7649 See verizonwireless.com/bestnetwork for details. © 2009 Verizon Wireless. GOVHSTCONT6092009-06-01T16:22:56+02:00http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=56http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/JUne2009/?Page=56GSA Sales: The Door Is Wide Open. Companies who sell to the government rely on Technical Communities for proven go-to-market solutions to grow sales, lower costs and reduce risk. Increase Sales. We have over a decade of experience growing sales for our customers. Our proven record includes successful management of multiple GSA schedules and exceptional relationships with more than 100 companies and thousands of buying centers. Experience Channel-Friendly. We help you successfully grow your GSA schedule sales — all in a channel-friendly environment. Let Us Help. To see how you can increase sales, go to www.technicalcommunities.com. And while you’re there, find out how, in a down economy, Technical Communities made 2008 our best year yet. Then call us at 1-888-665-3454. Increase sales. Lower costs. Channel-friendly.2009-06-01T16:22:56+02:00