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Manufacturers of nonlethal crowd control devices are working to offer officers, agents and other responders tools that are ever-increasing in effectiveness. By Scott Nance
Laboratory technologies are fielding small and highly portable handheld detectors capable of measuring dangerous levels of chem-bio matter. By Henry Canaday
Rapidly deployable shelters designed to protect and contain CBRN threats come in a variety of shapes and sizes. By Brian McNicoll
Mitigating the rough ride in small boats will lead to reduced crew injury and fatigue. By Peter Buxbaum
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In times of diminishing budgets, it is crucial to make sure that the left hand knows what the right hand is doing. For one, if they are each doing the same thing, we are wasting time and money duplicating efforts to achieve the same results. Perhaps worse is if they are working at cross purposes and the work of one is basically canceling out the work of the other—here we are wasting money and time while not getting anywhere. In 2012, it was reported that the Department of Homeland Security did not have a complete understanding of its research and development investments; further yet, it did not have policies in place that allowed Jeff McKaughan Editor a proper accounting of expenses and investment. The report by the Government Accountability Office found that while Homeland Security acknowledged only three of its offices/agencies had research and development funding, more than $255 million had been spent on R&D obligations. As a result, the GAO recommended to DHS that it develop policies to assist components in better understanding how to report R&D activities and better position DHS to determine R&D investments. The Department of Homeland Security concurred with the report’s findings and recommendations. They did establish policy guidance and are conducting portfolio reviews across the department in order to coordinate R&D efforts. Further review by the GAO highlighted that the reporting by the three primary users of R&D—the Coast Guard, the Science & Technology Directorate, and the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office—all displayed differing levels and details on their portfolio items. The bottom line appears to be that the Department of Homeland Security has made headway in developing a standardized method of tracking, reporting and sharing information on research and development projects. Once the cultural issues are pushed aside, each of the reporting agencies will welcome the ability to know the other investments across the enterprise and determine if there are savings they can make on one project and move to another. As U.S. national interests shift to the Pacific and the spreading of national interests in the Arctic region, Admiral Ray’s interview in this issue of Coast Guard & Border Security strikes a number of interesting chords. One is his confidence that the Coast Guard’s icebreaker fleet will be able to meet the service’s mission demands for another 7 to 10 years.
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NAV NOTES
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Supporting Animal Disease Countermeasure Work Leidos, a national security, health and engineering solutions company, has been awarded a prime contract by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to support and supplement the Science and Technology Agricultural Scientific Program at the Plum Island Animal Disease Center (PIADC). The single-award time and materials contract has a one-year base period of performance, four one-year options and a total contract value of approximately $12 million if all options are exercised. The DHS S&T mission is to strengthen America’s security and resiliency by providing knowledge products and innovative technology solutions for the Homeland Security Enterprise. In support of that mission, PIADC is the only laboratory in the nation that can work on high-consequence foreign animal diseases. The laboratory helps protect U.S. livestock from the accidental or intentional introduction of foreign animal diseases. Based on the breadth of this mission, the DHS S&T Agricultural Defense Scientific Program at the PIADC is critical to the development of foreign animal disease countermeasures that can be deployed in the event of an outbreak, including vaccines, diagnostic technology and biotherapeutics. Under the contract, Leidos will support and supplement the DHS S&T Agricultural Defense Scientific Program at PIADC with planning, program management support and oversight for the development of vaccines, diagnostics and other countermeasures to mitigate the impact of foreign animal diseases.
The PIADC program continues Leidos Health’s three decades of work in life sciences supporting the integration of large biomedical research and development with logistical and administrative support services for federal scientific, biopharmaceutical and agricultural programs. From supporting groundbreaking medical research to optimizing business operations, the Life Sciences team designs and delivers customized solutions to expedite the discovery and development of safe and effective medical treatments and scientific advances. “We are pleased to continue our support to the DHS S&T Directorate to protect U.S. livestock from foreign animal diseases that can seriously threaten our livestock industries, economy and way of life,” said Steve Comber, president of Leidos Health.
Countering Nuclear-Fueled Explosives To counter the continuing threat of nuclear-fueled explosives, such as dirty bombs, sophisticated detection methods are required. Historically, the Department of Defense and other agencies used Helium-3 (He-3) to detect neutrons emanating from special nuclear material. The supply of He-3, an extremely rare, non-naturally-occurring substance, is rapidly drying up. To address the critical need for a means to detect neutrons that does not rely on He-3, the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) awarded a $2.8 million contract to Alion Science and Technology to develop enhancements to a replacement technology. Alion, a global engineering, R&D, IT and operational solutions company, will support DTRA by developing new methods for an advanced detection system that uses boron-coated “straws”—literally bundles of thin copper tubes with a coating of boron, an abundant element. Current He-3 detectors are omnidirectional, so they can only alert users to the presence of neutrons. Under the contract, Alion will develop methods to make the boron-coated straw detector directional, so that a search team can pinpoint the location of the source of neutrons and thus react to threats more effectively. Alion engineers also will research how to increase the detector’s efficiency by exploring new straw geometries and will focus on miniaturizing and speeding up the electronics. Additionally, the company will review various manufacturing technologies to reduce the technology’s overall production costs. “By researching the means to make the boron-coated straw detector more precise and more reasonable to produce, Alion can help DTRA employ improved technologies to mitigate threats effectively and keep warfighters and citizens safe,” said Terri Spoonhour, Alion senior vice president and distributed simulation group manager. “But beyond providing a drop-in replacement for He-3 detector components, this engineering effort opens up a number of possibilities for new or enhanced portable systems that can be carried into questionable areas or permanently installed to protect ports and depots.” www.CGF-kmi.com
Incident Management Tool Mission Manager Inc. has relaunched its cloud-based incident manager tool that has helped first responders save lives and property in over 4,400 missions, including the 2014 San Diego fires and Boston Marathon bombing. Product upgrades include significant improvements in infrastructure, data security and technical support. Mission Manager, a widely-used incident management tool, provides a turnkey solution for mission planning, preparation and real-time situational awareness during live missions. Featuring a robust database with automated reporting tools, multiple communication vehicles and extensive mapping overlays, Mission Manager essentially replaces the manual process of managing callouts by pen and paper and producing reports via spreadsheets. Developed as a free solution by a San Diego first responder, Mission Manager has been adopted by more than 1,200 local, state, national and international agencies in all 50 U.S. states and 20 countries over the past three years. Users include search-and-rescue organizations, fire departments, law enforcement agencies and emergency operation centers. “We respect the critical and sensitive work of first responder organizations. That’s why we invested in a more robust solution with solid security,” said Mike Berthelot, Mission Manager president and chief executive officer. “Our company’s flexible pricing model also ensures that Mission Manager will be available to the broadest possible user group, so first responders can continue serving their communities with their critical missions.”
CGF 6.4 | 3
Creating the desired effects on a crowd while reducing the risks of escalation. By Scott Nance, CGF Correspondent
Whether it’s tear gas, flash bang munitions, non-lethal bullets or stun guns, manufacturers of non-lethal crowd control devices are working to offer officers, agents and other responders tools that are ever-increasing in safety, ease-of-use and effectiveness, leaders from those companies said. “Non-lethal, or less-lethal as we call it in Canada, covers a vast array of types of systems. What I see as cutting-edge is lighter technology in terms of delivery systems such as grenade launchers and the ability to deliver the munitions farther so the distance created between the subject and the officers involved is greater—reducing the risk” to personnel involved, said Braidy Parker, factory representative and master trainer at Lamperd Less Lethal, an Ontario, Canada-based maker of a variety of non-lethal firearms, munitions and related products. A movement has sprung up to prompt organizations that deploy non-lethal systems “to demand greater distances” in the munitions they use, Parker said. “Obviously, if you’re 5 feet from somebody you’re pretty close, and then the chances of you getting hurt are almost equal to them getting hurt,” he said, adding that in response 4 | CGF 6.4
Oberdick also noted a move toward his company is marketing “a round that can greater adoption of 40 mm devices across travel 100 feet and you can still feel it.” the United States. Another trend includes lighter gear as “You’re seeing more and more 40 mm well, Parker said. going into big domestic police departments. “An example of that is: We have made a But internationally, with interior ministries polymer 40 mm grenade launcher, which is and international police agencies around about 6 pounds lighter than anything else the world, they’re still using the 38 mm on the market, and it’s capable of holding six rounds for crowd control,” he said. rounds in its magazine.” NonLethal Technologies, which manufactures a wide range of non-lethal riot and A Bullet with an Airbag crowd control equipment for military and law enforcement applications, also produces For Washington, D.C.-based Security vehicle-mounted systems that offer a greater Devices International (SDI), its innovation stand-off distance, according to Jim Obercomes in the form of a new type of nondick, who oversees business development for lethal munition called the Blunt Impact the Pennsylvania-based comProjectile, or BIP, said SDI pany. Their IronFist weapon President Gregory Sullivan. system allows “a single tacThe round has been tical vehicle to deploy over designed to supersede pre600 mini-grenades of CS into vious blunt impact ammo a crowd within minutes [at such as foam, sponge and a range of 150 yards] so no rubber bullets, he said. officer is at risk,” he said. “It’s “The whole round is a true force multiplier. So this designed to be an energyis quite new to the industry, absorption system, so not and it’s been well-received,” only does the head collapse Gregory Sullivan he added. upon impact, which disperses www.CGF-kmi.com
the inertia over a wider part of the body—in that sense you’re actually hitting more nerve endings and causing more surface pain—but you’re not getting the depth and penetration that can be problematic and cause injuries,” Sullivan said. The BIP is largely made of plastic, with some other components, and is designed to rupture upon impact, he said. “It’s almost like a bullet with an airbag. It has a cushioning effect, and we use energy-absorption techniques to safely create pain without lasting injury,” he added. The biggest users of the BIP ammo are law enforcement agencies, particularly SWAT and crowd-control units, while SDI is “just starting to penetrate” the federal market, Sullivan said. There’s a lot of engineering that goes into a round like the BIP, he said. “It was designed to be stable in flight, to be to be used in short ranges and long ranges up to 80 meters. We don’t recommend it used under 2 meters but we’ve seen it used at a point-blank range and it was highly effective—it created massive pain-compliance but
[did not cause] lasting injury reason, according to Steve on the person,” Sullivan said. Tuttle, vice president of “Although it was used at a strategic communications shorter range than we norat Taser International, the mally recommend, the round Scottsdale, Ariz.-based maker did exactly what it was meant of the electroshock gun. to do: It created a significant “We have a little more amount of pain with no loss or than 17,000 of 18,000 law [lasting] injury whatsoever.” enforcement agencies in The BIP can be fired from the United States alone that Steve Tuttle any existing 40 mm firearm, deploy our Taser brand conhe added. ducted-energy weapon,” he “Before it hit the market, we did extensaid. “We’ve gotten fairly ubiquitous. About sive testing on [this round] from indepen8,000 of those agencies deploy them to dent agencies and government agencies, and every single patrol officer.” [the round] really has a track record of safety Moreover, the company now sells its and effectiveness. And now we’re getting that devices in 107 countries, Tuttle added. feedback from the end-user. We want to be Now more than 10 years old after its known as having the safest round on the 2003 introduction, Tuttle calls the Taser market,” Sullivan said. X26 the company’s former flagship product that once dominated sales. “The X26 really put us on the map in Smart Weapons terms of being that ubiquitous paradigm shift for law enforcement because now Over the last decade and more, the word you’re finding so many devices out on the Taser has become synonymous with the streets,” he said. concept of non-lethal force—and for good
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CGF 6.4 | 5
Watching the Application of Non-Lethal Force Aside from the weapons systems themselves, there is a growing market for technology such as remote cameras, which allow the application of non-lethal force to be recorded or even monitored in real-time, according to representatives of companies selling these new companion offerings. Taser International sells cameras mounted on its X26P and X2 models, said Steve Tuttle, vice president of strategic communications. “We still sell a fair amount of those but even more so, our fastest-growing segment for us in sales is the Axon body cameras,” he said. “That’s where we have the officers wearing cameras on their body, or they’re wearing our Axon Flex cameras, which they can wear on their glasses, helmets, hats, lapels—they can even mount them to dashboards.” Lamperd Less Lethal also markets a high-tech camera system along with its non-lethal
systems and munitions, said Braidy Parker, factory representative and master trainer with the Ontario, Canada-based firm. “I know there are a lot of camera systems out there, but ours has the ability to stream in real time and provide audio in real time,” Parker said. “So if there is a particular problem, the command post can actually pull it up, watch what is happening and give commands to their operators. “The application of lesslethal and non-lethal [force] is based on subject control and a number of [other] factors. If those factors change, you need to know about it,” he said. “If those factors go to lethal force, you want your people in the right position and the right place knowing about it—and I can’t think of a better way than to have a camera there.” Monitoring of non-lethal force “allows you to make good decisions” about its use, he added.
The X26 now has been replaced with new products, Tuttle said. “Most of our sales now come from what we call the ‘smart weapons,’” he said. “The X26 has a replacement called the X26P. That’s the smart version of the X26. It’s a single-shot system.” The company also enhanced its technology to produce its X2, a dual-shot system, Tuttle said. “Those two are now our flagship products—the smart weapons—and are dominating our sales right now,” he said.
Information for When Things Go ‘Sideways’ The old X26 had a data-port system that would record time, date, duration and battery level for each use of the weapon— but now the “smart weapons” can provide much more, Tuttle said. “That [data from an X26 is] pretty helpful if you’ve got a he said/she said 6 | CGF 6.4
From Taser International’s perspective, its cameras augment all of the data about a particular weapon’s use available for download from its data port, Tuttle said. “We still had people making claims, saying, ‘The officer shot me for no reason,’ or ‘He used the Taser to torture me.’ We download the [information from] the weapon and it would show, [for example], three uses. We [would say], ‘Well, that’s three uses. Maybe the officer can justify why there were three uses.’ But wouldn’t it be nice if we had video? So by adding that camera as an option, it really allowed the officers to feel very confident that they would no longer have that ‘he said/she said,’” Tuttle explained. “It really added a level of transparency and accountability that’s unmatched in any of the weaponry that’s out there on the streets,” he added. “That’s the beauty of it—when you’ve got video, it tells the full story.”
about an event. But what the smart weapons do is take [the data] two steps further,” he said. “They create even deeper logs in terms of when the device was used, but it can account for all the pulses. When you deploy a Taser trigger, you actually get 19 pulses of energy per second. “We can keep track of every individual pulse, so we can see if it dropped off on resistance, meaning it may not have made contact. Or we can show, ‘Hey, it definitely made contact for all 19 pulses of a fivesecond duration,’” he added. The new models also provide engineering logs, with a diagnostic download to see how a particular weapon performed in field, and an operator can look for the completion of system checks or minor or major faults, Tuttle explained. “That system right there gives us a lot of visibility in terms of an event that may go sideways to explain why the device didn’t function. Was the device functioning to begin with? Did it encounter a
The Taser-mounted cameras were “so successful” that officers expressed a desire to have a camera record their work at all the other times that they didn’t use a Taser weapon. “So we worked many years and developed the Axon camera system,” Tuttle said.
problem in the field? Or was it functioning perfectly? We get a lot of people who claim that the device didn’t deploy or didn’t work. We can prove that it did, and we don’t have to be there as a witness—the system can actually verify how it works,” he said. A Taser weapon system goes through about 245 internal checks to ensure it is operating properly, Tuttle said. “If it’s not, it’ll actually indicate that there might be a minor problem [that shouldn’t affect its use], or [that] it might be a significant problem [that could be dangerous if used],” he said. “We give a lot of information back to the user post-event or even before they use it.” O
For more information, contact Editor-In-Chief Jeff McKaughan at jeffm@kmimediagroup.com or search our online archives for related stories at www. cgf-kmi.com.
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The most portable CBRNE detectors are those that you can carry in your hand. By Henry Canaday, CGF Correspondent
Countering chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and high-yield explosive (CBRNE) threats has become essential for both military and civilian security personnel. Fortunately, tools for detecting and identifying these threats have dramatically improved. Laboratory technologies are moving to the field in small and highly portable devices. Detectors have become more sensitive, and libraries of targets have been expanded. Detection and identification speeds have increased, even as accuracy is enhanced. Handheld detection tools have become much better, and that trend will continue. ACE-ID is Smiths Detection’s newest technology, according to Chief Scientist Brian Boso. It is a non-contact Raman identifier for explosives and precursors that uses orbital raster scan (ORS) laser technology to identify solids and liquids through certain plastics and glass, yielding rapid results in seconds. Most significantly, the ORS laser uses an advanced optical platform that minimizes heating of dark samples during analysis. “ACE-ID is lightweight and can be operated with just one hand,” Boso noted. Non-contact analysis uses software for remote operation, such as on robots. RadSeeker is Smiths’ handheld, rugged and highly accurate radioisotope detector and identifier that meets Department of Homeland Security (DHS) requirements for a next-generation system to detect and identify nuclear threats. “It couples advanced spectrum processing and identification algorithms with a choice of highly sensitive detectors for superior detection and identification accuracy,” Boso said. RadSeeker distinguishes radiological and nuclear threats from naturally occurring radiation and everyday radiological materials. HazMatID Elite is Smiths’ next-generation handheld Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy solid and liquid chemical identifier. It does an analysis in a minute or less. Boso said Elite has the widest thermal and solar operational range of any portable www.CGF-kmi.com
chemical identifier. Its optical engine also resists vibrations from mechanical disturbances during vehicle or human transport. Elite uses intuitive software, a large display screen and keypad controls. Many Smiths technologies are ruggedized and can be used in extreme environments. The company takes advanced analytical equipment out of the lab and puts it in the field. The devices are small, fast, lightweight, accurate and easy to operate. They can be easily updated for evolving threats. Polimaster makes handheld detectors for radiation, explained President Vladimir Kanevsky. One such device is the gammaneutron personal radiation detector PM1703GN, which detects even slight amounts of gamma and neutron radiation, even shielded sources, and alerts users with audible, visual and vibrating alarms. Data for up to 1,000 detection events are stored. “The Coast Guard has been using thousands of these detects for 10 years,” Kanevsky said. “Nobody can beat our technology. We have the most cost-effective product—high quality at a reasonable cost.” Polimaster is now offering a new generation in detection, a version of its handheld equipment that identifies as well as detects isotopes. Chemring Detection Systems makes two handheld detection devices, said Wayne Horvath, director of sales. Juno uses differential mobility spectrometry (DMS) for vapor trace detection. The Pistol Grip Raman (PGR)-1064 is a handheld chemical identifier. “Juno detects threats, and PGR identifies unknown chemicals, [determining] if they are powder, liquids or solids,” Horvath explained. Juno has in its current library toxic industrial chemicals (TICs) and chemical warfare agents (CWAs). Other threats, as long as they have vapor, can be added to the detector’s library. The device weighs less than 2 pounds. The PGR-1064 can identify anything in this library that gives a chemical footprint. These materials could be either explosives or narcotics. The PGR weighs a little over 2 pounds. Horvath said Juno’s DMS is superior to the ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) commonly used today. DMS has a 100 percent duty cycle, while IMS has only a 1 percent duty cycle. DMS uses two-dimensional tubes to separate positive and negative ions simultaneously, while IMS’s one-dimensional tubes must switch CGF 6.4 | 7
back and forth. These differences give Juno DMS superior sensitivity and selectivity. The PGR-1064 uses Raman spectrometry with a 1,064 nanometer laser, not the more common 785 nm laser. This mitigates fluorescence, which can blur spectra, especially at peaks. According to the company, this makes the Chemring device more efficient than most rivals. Chemring is building out its two key handheld technologies, Juno and PGR. “We will come out in 18 months with enhanced versions of both,” Horvath said. “These may be different form factors, such as desktop versions.” JDSU has developed an ultra-miniature, handheld near-infrared (NIR) spectrometer, the MicroNIR spectrometer, suitable for identifying explosives, improvised explosives and narcotics. “This is our first product in this area,” explained Nada O’Brien, director of marketing and product management. The company previously made optical components for military applications. NIR spectroscopy works well when there is sufficient material present; at least tens of milligrams, not just trace amounts. The MicroNIR could thus be used as a screening device for identifying unknown materials at ports and borders, in emergencies, and during threat situations. The tool is effective with organic materials but not with non-organic materials and metals. Within this limit, MicroNIR’s coverage is as broad as the library it is given. O’Brien said it can be taught to spot either specific chemicals or classes of chemicals, such as research department explosives. The error rate is low, but the tool is too new to estimate a specific rate. For improvised explosives, MicroNIR tells users when a material has been modified to be dangerous. For example, ammonium nitrate fertilizer is harmless until mixed with aluminum powder or fuel. MicroNIR distinguishes between pure materials and such dangerous mixtures. O’Brien said MicroNIR is the smallest NIR spectrometer available, with the highest performance-to-price ratio. It weighs only 2 ounces and is less than 2 inches in diameter. It fits easily into pants pockets and is affordable enough to deploy widely. The device connects by wire or wirelessly with tablet PCs or other mobile devices to show images. Because MicroNIR is tiny, JDSU could increase its size to add more functions, for example adding technologies to detect a wider range of threats. This possibility “is on our roadmap, but not a commitment yet,” O’Brien said. The company has a cooperative research agreement with a government agency interested in NIR technology. There is also interest in NIR for narcotics detection. 908 Devices recently introduced the M908, a 4.4-pound handheld mass spectrometer for chemical detection and identification. “M908 is the first of its kind, a rugged, user-friendly, truly purposebuilt mass spectrometer set to change the way chemical threats are controlled at the point of action,” said Vice President of Business Development Chris Petty. The device uses high-pressure mass spectrometry (HPMS) to provide laboratory-level analysis. The M908 was designed for time-critical missions. It is up and running in less than 60 seconds for detection, identification and confirmation of TICs, CWAs and simulants, explosives, precursors and narcotics. It can analyze solids, liquids and vapors from trace to bulk quantities and is immune to non-targets and interferents, reducing false alarms. “We wanted to provide something really unique, a powerful, simple, rugged device that fills large capability gaps and can evolve 8 | CGF 6.4
Training on the use of detection devices is critical to ensure they are familiar to the operators and the results can be validated. [Photo courtesy of U.S. Air Force/by Gina Randall]
Technology has advanced to allow for more accurate detection, fewer false positives and quicker response times. [Photo courtesy of DoD/by Staff Sgt. Timothy Koster]
to meet the threats and challenges of tomorrow,” Petty summarized. Unlike 30- to 35-pound mass spectrometry systems on the market, the M908 needs little training, maintenance and logistics. “It’s the simplest and most diverse tool in the box.” The firm will continue to exploit HPMS to develop products for evolving threats. The expandable threat list allows M908 to evolve with new hazards, and will soon broaden to include even more compounds. Morpho Detection makes three kinds of mobile trace detectors, said Rich Stoddard, director, trace/CBRNE platforms. The first detects narcotics only, the second detects only explosives and the third detects both narcotics and explosives. Morpho has ruggedized the third version for harsh environments such as fog and rain and resistance to dropping. Hardened MobileTrace detects narcotics, explosives, TICs, toxic industrial materials and CWAs, and operates over a wide temperature range. False alarm rates are under 2 percent. Morpho devices have been designed ergonomically. They use IMS technology for detection, have been operated by U.S. military and civilian agencies, and were deployed for the London Olympic Games. They suit “anyone who needs mobile detection,” Stoddard said. www.CGF-kmi.com
cyanogen chloride, and several CWAs. Its systems For radiation detection, Morpho is working with generate alarms within four to 25 seconds. a research center at GE, of which Morpho once was “Our CNT-based sensors have enhanced senpart. Lester Koga, director, global strategy developsitivity, selectivity and fast response time and are ment, said Morpho will launch a new device, Sourextremely cost effective, compact and easy to inteceID, in October 2014 to help border agents and grate with other systems,” Hur stressed. They conhazmat teams spot radiation and dirty bombs. sume little power and can be operated for long The new Morpho device weighs just 2 pounds hours on a small battery. These characteristics make and uses cadmium zinc telluride (CZT) gamma-ray CNT tools attractive for handheld, autonomous and detectors to classify and identify isotopes and detect remote detection. originating direction in real time. Koga said CZT Chris Petty The Design West executive lauded CNT’s superior technology has been around for 15 years but has not selectivity and sensitivity, accurate algorithms, low been commercialized in handheld devices before. “It cost due to simplicity and ease of training and use. has better energy resolution than other technologies, which means The company is now focusing on miniaturizing its technology better detection and fewer false alarms.” and fabricating CNT sensors on smaller or flexible substrates. Hur Thermo Fisher Scientific’s handheld chemical identification wants to minimize the footprint of his CNT platform and translate it tools are field-ready instruments that deliver precise, actionable to a portable or wearable system capable of detecting target threats intelligence to customs and border protection agencies around the and reporting their positions, date, time and estimate of severity. He world, according to Trey Sieger, market leader for portable anais looking at fabricating sensors with low-cost ink-jet printing by lytical instruments. The company’s FirstDefender and TruDefender putting CNT on plastic substrates. The challenge here is the design analyzers are widely deployed for identification of explosives, toxic of optimal electrodes. He also wants to incorporate wireless commuchemicals and narcotics. nication into his sensor platform. O More than 10,000 Thermo Fisher Scientific instruments are deployed worldwide for identification of unknown chemicals, exploFor more information, contact Editor-In-Chief sives and precursors. “Users include every branch of the U.S. miliJeff McKaughan at jeffm@kmimediagroup.com or tary, customs and border protection, hazmat teams, bomb squads, search our online archives for related stories at www.cgf-kmi.com. law enforcement and other first responders,” Sieger said. FirstDefender RM and FirstDefender RMX are next-generation Raman instruments for rapid, accurate identification of unknown chemicals. FirstDefenders are equipped with a tagging feature to enhance analysis of priority items, such as targeted explosives precursors. Tagged items are also identified on-screen for evaluation and escalation if needed. FirstDefender RMX can be used as a handheld instrument with a fixed probe, in an integrated vial mode or mounted to tactical robots. TruDefenders are rugged, handheld FTIR systems for rapid, field-based identification of unknown chemicals. They bring the October 6-9, 2014 power of FTIR to the field, enabling users to analyze and act fast. Walter E. Washington Convention Center | Washington DC TruDefender FTi has mobile-phone technology to send results via email or SMS text. Now in its 4th year, Homeland Security Week 2014 will Lightweight and easy to use, TruDefender FTX has an anvil bring together high profile speakers from the Department of sampling head for easier sampling and decontamination. The selfHomeland Security including CBP, TSA, ICE, USCG, FEMA and more to discuss the most pressing issues facing the homeland contained anvil prevents chemical entrapment and contamination of security community including: operators or subsequent samples. The anvil rotates for clear visibility • Preventing Terrorism and Enhancing Security and easy sampling when users wear protective gear. Sieger said lab-proven techniques can now be used in the field • Border Management & Immigration by personnel with little or no scientific training. In the future, CBRN • Cybersecurity equipment will become smaller and even easier to use. “For example, • Disaster Relief and Emergency Preparedness equipment can be used to identify explosives precursors such as • Science & Technology those tracked by Program Global Shield.” In addition, Sieger sees continued improvements in mixture analysis and instruments that Over the course of 4 days, attendees will have exclusive entry to exploit improvements in computers for faster results. over 40 high level presentations on Homeland Security, access Progress is also coming on essential components of detecto 60+ exhibitors, products demonstrations, and networking tors. Using carbon nanotube (CNT) chemiresistors, Design West opportunities with over 700 attendees. Technologies has developed a multi-agent detection system that is compact, low cost and robust, said President Ryan Hur. CNT-based sensors can detect and identify TICs and CWAs at or less than OSHA exposure limits within 10 seconds after exposure to vapor. w w w . H o m e l a n d S e c u r i t y We e k . c o m The firm has developed detection algorithms and studied performance after exposure to 16 TICs, including hydrogen cyanide and
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CGF 6.4 | 9
Designing shelter systems for CBRN scenarios.
By Brian McNicoll, CGF Correspondent
situation exists, one of the 17 CBRN-Enhanced (CBRN-E) units, with Back in late March and early April, National Guard units from 186 members each, deploys within six hours. These units are trained Washington, Oregon, Hawaii and Alaska converged on a remote part and equipped to perform search and rescue, decontamination, emerof Alaska for a most unusual observance. gency medical attention and fatality recovery. The units were there to mark the 50th anniversary of one of the They are followed by a homeland response force unit. There are largest earthquakes ever recorded—a 9.5 temblor that took place in a 10 of these, and each consists of 577 people. In addition to the tasks remote part of our largest state. The combination of weather, terrain performed by CBRN-E units, they can provide logistical support, and magnitude of the quake, all in a location so remote it is accessible command-and-control and enhanced treatment, detection and medieven today only by air and dog sled, made this one of the most chalcal care. lenging environments in which first responders have ever performed. A federal level exists on top of this. The defense CBRN response The units went all out as if the earthquake had occurred force can bring 2,000 people to the task within 24 hours and another again. They deployed their civil support teams, their fatality search 3,200 within 48 hours. and recovery teams, and their chemical, biological, radiation and Regardless of the teams in place, when CBRN response is nuclear (CBRN)-enhanced response force packages, which include requested, time is short and pressure is high. An event has occurred— Air National Guard medical teams. They erected 1-, 2- and 3-line a train wreck involving dangerous chemicals, a storm, an earthquake, decontamination shelters, a command and control shelter, purifiers a chemical, biological or nuclear attack, or terrorist incident. And and powered air-purifying respirators (PAPRs) that enabled rescuers rapid response is critical. Most of the damage done by these airborne to work for hours in masks and full-body covering. killers occurs in the first few minutes after an incident. The equipment for these units came from a number of suppliers It is imperative that shelters and decontamination systems can and the users from a number of organizations and training regimens. be erected quickly and units from multiple organizations can deploy But most of the shelters were up in fewer than three minutes, and all simultaneously and work in concert. The work can be long and hot (or were up fewer than 10 and operating in fewer than 15. And the equipcold) and exacting, and the equipment must be rugged and durable ment—the shelters, purifiers, flooring, respirators and decontaminaand equal to the task. The National Guard seeks to have CBRN tents tion supplies—all worked seamlessly. assembled, floored and up and running with purified air and a toxinThat’s because although different firms in the CBRN response free environment within 15 minutes—most of the tents themselves field bring different attributes to the table—better filters, new and can be erected in two minutes or less—and to have more effective fabrics for the shelters, more comfortits units capable of decontaminating and supplying able and less claustrophobic masks—the watchwords medical triage as necessary for 120 people per hour. for all are the same: interoperability, speed, and maxiMost of the major firms in the field produce the mum protection for first responders and/or soldiers in full range of CBRN response equipment—from the the field. quickly-erected shelters to PAPRs to decontamination “Generally, there is a network of shelter manufacshowers to water management systems to mobile turers, and all have general fabrication know-how,” command-and-control facilities. They make purifiers said Peter Kirk, market manager for Saint-Gobain Perand filters, bladders and pumps, and suits and masks. formance Plastics Corp., a worldwide manufacturer of And they do it all with the goal of keeping the footprint materials, including chemical protective fabrics, with light and small, the equipment portable and durable, its U.S. base is in New Hampshire. “Our shelter materiand the response quick and nimble. als have been designed so that anyone can fabricate Peter Kirk Response generally falls into two categories: miliwith it. It was important for us to consider existing tary and civilian. In military environments, the threat may be ongofabrication equipment and processes so that these products can be ing, the area in danger large and undefined and the duration of the produced into shelters by others—ultimately giving those who need attack unknown. Personnel untrained in CBRN work may handle chemical protective shelters the best access to this equipment.” evacuation and limited treatment at field hospitals, which themselves Indeed, just within the National Guard, there are literally dozens could be in the hot zone, and neither the victims nor those driving of responding organizations. There are 57 civilian response teams— transport vehicles have been decontaminated. one in every state, the District of Columbia and most U.S. territories. Victims in this scenario are brought to a collected protection enviThese units, with 22 people each, deploy within three hours of an incironment, one in which a shelter has been established and groups can dent and are trained to detect and identify threats. Then, if a CBRN 10 | CGF 6.4
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work to evaluate, treat and decontaminate victims. They are decontaminated first, then sent through an airlock to the protected area. In events occurring in civilian environments, such as terrorist attacks or chemical or nuclear accidents, the location, boundaries and duration of the incident are known. Victims are processed in the field at a mass field casualty decontamination station. They are then carried to evacuation vehicles stationed outside the incident area and transported to shelters and treatment facilities located outside the contaminated zone. In most cases, a secondary decontamination station operates near the hospital to treat those who evacuate themselves and to perform safety decontamination on those who may not have been decontaminated properly at the incident area. Advances in a variety of areas have increased efficiency and reduced costs. Saint-Gobain, for instance, produces a fluoropolymer barrier film that it says provides the most extreme resistance to heat, chemical contact and chemical permeation. The company’s unique films are effective at preventing permeation of a broad range of chemicals because of an inherent inertness that enables the barrier to maintain its properties regardless of chemical contact. This film is embedded within a composite fabric construction that Saint-Gobain calls Coretech, and is used to make shelters and other chemical protective gear. It is so effective, said Kirk, that shelters no longer need to be made with chemical protective liners. This one layer of protection is designed to operate and provide safety for up to 10 years. “Most of the time, shelters are constructed from traditional nonchemical protective materials. But then to be chemical protective, a separate liner must be deployed inside,” Kirk said. “That means you need more time to assemble the shelter, and during that time, responders risk exposure. Additionally, this system requires a complexity of logistics from procurement, transportation, and set-up in the field. What we have is a single-skin technology—the only one currently approved for use by the U.S. military. You set up the shelter and you are ready to go. The material offers all the protection you need.” The applications are numerous, Kirk said. Saint-Gobain’s Coretech materials could be used to bring chemical and biological collective protection to the battlefield. Trucks could be outfitted with easily deployed Coretech-based shelters, enabling a soft-shelter system to be deployed and victims to be safely treated almost immediately. “Before, this was just too costly for outfitting all of the military,” he said. “But it’s not anymore.” Saint-Gobain’s material keeps dangerous chemicals out, but what about the air within? That is the specialty of HDT Global, an Ohiobased firm that has established itself as an industry leader in filters and air systems for collective protection environments, as well as fixed-site, mobile and individual needs. Its technology revolves around a two-stage filtration system. The first stage is a high-efficiency particle arrestor (HEPA) filter, which removes toxic hazards in the form of solids, such as particles, liquids or aerosols. This stage removes bacteria, spores, viruses and toxins, as well as radioactive fallout, chemicals in the form of dust or those carried by dust or liquid droplets and aerosols—most hazards, that is, except those in the form of vapor or gas. The second stage is a chemical adsorber, which removes hazardous chemicals from the air via a set of chemical interactions between the hazard and the adsorber material or media. The adsorber could be tailored for one agent, a family of agents or a wide range of agents by applying additives to the media or other technology. The military, which faces the most diverse set of threats, employs filters equipped to absorb the widest variety of chemicals. www.CGF-kmi.com
The response also is geared to the size of the toxic-free area to be established. These can be as small as one-lane temporary shelters or as large as entire hospitals. The larger the area, the more that must be done to protect against leaks, provide filtered air and come up with the electricity necessary to power the operation. The smaller, the better. “Of course, the important point is that not all adsorbers or media are the same,” said Robin Stefanovich of HDT Global. “Not all carbonbased filters are alike. Nor do they all have the same efficiency or capacity. It is important to tailor the capabilities to the mission.” No matter the size of the incident or where it occurs, it is likely a National Guard unit will respond. And it is likely the members of that unit will be equipped with a “National Guard kit” from Immediate Response Technologies (IRT), a veteran-owned firm in Glenn Dale, Md. Some 13,000 of these kits—which include a mask that protects the face, eyes and gastrointestinal tract against chemical and biological agents and air canisters and provides a constant flow of cool air so rescuers can work intensely for long periods—have been placed with National Guard units nationwide. The firm plans to upgrade these kits with a new product within months. There also is a good chance that a National Guard responder will operate in an IRT-made decontamination shelter. At the joint National Guard exercise in Alaska, units deployed 3-line decontamination systems, command-and-control tents, individual decontamination showers and S-9 facilities—20-by-20-foot cubes that can become miniature hospitals almost on demand. IRT also offers a variety of ancillary equipment. It sells floor risers or flooring that can be snapped together almost as quickly as a shelter can be erected with its patented articulating frame. In addition, IRT offers water heaters, lighting systems, HVAC equipment, power generators and distribution equipment, water pumps, water bladders from 50 gallons of capacity to 50,000, anchoring systems, such as stakes, sand bags and water bladders, and basins, berms and repair kits. “It’s all plug and play,” said Gary Hall, a marketing manager with IRT. “We could have anyone from a mayor to a governor to a president deploying units. You have to be able to accommodate everyone.” Responders do not get to choose their environment, particularly those in the military. That’s why Utilis, a Florida-based firm, specializes in rapidly-deployable soft shelters that can stand up to the harshest of conditions. Its 600-square-foot shelter can be set up in three to five minutes by four people. It has an internal liner and integrated electrical outlets and air conditioning pre-installed. But this is no ordinary tent. In tests at Aberdeen Proving Grounds, it sustained 55-mile-per-hour winds for 30 minutes with three 10-second bursts of 65-mile-per-hour winds. It took on rain at the rate of two inches per hour for 30 minutes and 10 pounds of snow per square foot for 12 hours. And it did all this even after having been pitched, taken down and pitched again 50 times. It is never good when CBRN units are deployed. It means people are suffering, and fast action is required. It is good to know the players in this field have responded to the need for interoperability, for speed, for durability and for quality. Each firm has its own niche, but all understand the mission requires that all responders everywhere be able to use their equipment. “We have just one goal,” said Hall. “We want to make sure as many people as possible return to their families, healthy.” O For more information, contact Editor-In-Chief Jeff McKaughan at jeffm@kmimediagroup.com or search our online archives for related stories at www.cgf-kmi.com.
CGF 6.4 | 11
ON THE HORIZON Handheld Backscatter Imaging Scanner American Science and Engineering Inc. (AS&E), a worldwide supplier of innovative X-ray detection solutions, has introduced the Mini Z, the world’s first handheld Z Backscatter imaging scanner for fast, portable, real-time detection of hidden organic threats such as drugs, contraband, plastic guns, ceramic knives and explosives. Designed for law enforcement, first responders, border control, event security, maritime police and general aviation security, the Mini Z system’s single-sided imaging and compact size offers unsurpassed operational flexibility—scanning effectively “on the go” in the hardest-to-reach environments. “Leveraging the breakthrough capabilities of our Z Backscatter detection technology, the Mini Z system is AS&E’s initial offering of what will be a family of portable backscatter products,” said Chuck Dougherty, AS&E’s president and CEO. “We have taken the technology behind the success of the ZBV system and miniaturized it—making it more affordable and accessible to a broader range of customers. The Mini Z system is a game-changer for law enforcement and border security officials who are constantly challenged to quickly and accurately detect potential threats in hard-to-reach environments as they work to ensure the highest level of public safety.”
Compiled by KMI Media Group staff
Handheld Threat Detection Device Airbus Defense and Space Inc. recently hosted a successful demonstration of its SONEX-P threat detection system to representatives of major international airports, homeland security agencies, and federal, state and local law enforcement organizations. Attendees included representatives of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, Pennsylvania State Police, Virginia State Police and the Domestic Nuclear Defeat Organization. During the demonstration, which was held at the Airbus Group storage facility, SONEX-P accurately detected and identified a range of hidden explosive threats—each in a single scan. What sets SONEX-P apart is its combination of neutron technology with 3-D imaging, enabling faster threat detection and more accurate views of a threat compared to X-ray-based detection devices. The system’s 3-D imaging capability and laptop interface allows first responders to interrogate suspicious packages from a safe distance without handling them. The system software is fully customizable and can be optimized to detect other emerging chemical, nuclear and radiological threats. SONEX-P eliminates the need for lengthy training to interpret readings. The device does all the work—signaling a live threat with a red light on its console and a non-threat condition with a green light.
“SONEX-P is automatic detection of threats,” said Michael Cosentino, president of Airbus Defense and Space Inc. “The SONEX-P system represents the future of threat detection—faster results, clearer views of the threat, and a greatly improved degree of safety for first responders and explosives technicians,” he added. Weighing about 50 pounds, SONEX-P is lightweight, and comprised of only two elements—a man-portable detection head and a companion laptop computer—that work in tandem to identify, detect and discriminate chemical, radiological, nuclear or explosive threats located in parcels, luggage, ordnance or abandoned bags.
Rugged Tablet Handheld Group, a manufacturer of rugged mobile computers and smartphones, and Spillman Technologies Inc., a public safety software provider, have announced the compatibility of the Handheld Algiz 10X ultra-rugged tablet computer and Spillman Technologies mobile software. The Algiz 10X can withstand tough weather elements and harsh handling, and its large,
12 | CGF 6.4
10.1-inch touchscreen provides the best screen visibility on the market. Spillman Technologies offers more than 40 software modules, enabling public safety agencies to completely customize an integrated software system. Spillman’s Mobile suite of products, which include Mobile Driver License Scanning, Mobile Records and Mobile Voiceless Computer-Aided Dispatch, among others, were designed for easy access to information in the field. “The Algiz 10X is perfectly suited for agencies that need a rugged tablet computer that is lightweight and built to withstand the harsh conditions that come with all kinds of public safety fieldwork,” said Danny Adams, business development manager at Handheld US. “Coupling it with Spillman mobile software modules provides the best of both worlds: leading,
proven software together with a tablet tough enough to meet their demands.” The Algiz 10X is IP65-rated and meets stringent MIL-STD-810G military standards for protecting against dust, water, vibrations, drops and extreme temperatures. It is lightweight at just 2.9 pounds, and is only 1.2 inches thick. The tablet—which runs Windows 7 Ultimate—operates on a powerful dual-core processor, offering top-of-the-line computing capability, and the 128 GB SSD disk is expandable via microSD for massive storage capacity. “Our customers rely on our mobile software modules to access critical information in the field,” said Brian Pugh, product line manager at Spillman Technologies. “The Algiz 10X is an ideal device to run Spillman software because it offers the complete ruggedness and mobility that public safety agencies require.”
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2014
Senior Leadership of State Emergency Management and Response
Senior Leadership of State Emergency Management and Response When confronted with a catastrophe, whether natural or manmade, the first responders will almost always be local. From town and county law enforcement to firefighters and EMTs, they are on-scene first. Depending on the intensity of the crisis, these local resources may require additional help. If so, they will turn to the state agency that can add resources and provide a more direct pipeline to federal options. Each state incorporates the responsibilities for emergency response differently. However, each state’s overall mission is similar and may be typified by the mission statement of the Georgia Emergency Management Agency/Homeland Security: “GEMA’s mission is to provide a comprehensive and aggressive all-hazards approach to homeland security initiatives, mitigation, preparedness, response, recovery and special events in order to protect life and property and prevent and/or reduce negative impacts of terrorism and natural disasters in Georgia.” U.S. Coast Guard & Border Security has compiled a quick, easyto-use reference guide of state-level response agencies on the other end of the line for local jurisdictions. It includes the name of each organization—in alphabetical order by state—along with its current leader, address and contact details. Pull it out and keep it handy!
Alabama Emergency Management Agency Art Faulkner Director 5898 County Rd. 41 Clanton, Alabama 35046-2160 (205) 280-2476 www.ema.alabama.gov/
Arizona Division of Emergency Management Wendy Smith-Reeve Director 5636 E. McDowell Rd. Phoenix, Arizona 85008-3495 (602) 244-0504 www.dem.azdema.gov
California Emergency Management Agency Mark S. Ghilarducci Director 3650 Schriever Ave. Mather, California 95655 (916) 845-8506 www.calema.ca.gov
Florida Division of Emergency Management Bryan W. Koon Director 2555 Shumard Oak Blvd. Tallahassee, Florida 32399-2100 (850) 413-9969 www.floridadisaster.org
Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management Department of Public Safety Kevin R. Klein Director 9195 E. Mineral Ave., Ste. 200 Centennial, Colorado 80112 (720) 852-6600 www.dhsem.state.co.us
Georgia Emergency Management Agency Charley English Director 935 East Confederate Ave. SE Atlanta, Georgia 30316-0055 (404) 635-7000 www.gema.state.ga.us
Connecticut Office of Emergency Management Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security Dora B. Schriro Commissioner 25 Sigourney St., 6th Flr. Hartford, Connecticut 06106-5042 (860) 256-0800 www.ct.gov/demhs/ Delaware Emergency Management Agency 165 Brick Store Landing Rd. Smyrna, Delaware 19977 (302) 659-3362 www.dema.delaware.gov
Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management John Madden Director P.O. Box 5750 Fort Richardson, Alaska 99505-5750 (907) 428-7000 www.ak-prepared.com American Samoa Territorial Emergency Management Coordination American Samoa Government P.O. Box 1086 Pago Pago, American Samoa 96799 (011)(684) 699-6415 14 | CGF 6.4
Arkansas Department of Emergency Management David Maxwell Director Bldg. 9501 Camp Joseph T. Robinson North Little Rock, Arkansas 721999600 (501) 683-6700 www.adem.arkansas.gov
District of Columbia Emergency Management Agency Chris T. Geldart Director 2720 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave., S.E. Second Flr. Washington, D.C. 20032 (202) 727-6161 dcema.dc.gov
Guam Homeland Security/Office of Civil Defense 221B Chalan Palasyo Agana Heights, Guam 96910 Tel:(671) 475-9600 Fax:(671) 477-3727 http://www.guamhs.org/
Hawaii Emergency Management Agency Maj. Gen. Darryll D. M. Wong Director 3949 Diamond Head Rd. Honolulu, Hawaii 96816-4495 (808) 733-4300 www.scd.hawaii.gov Idaho Bureau of Homeland Security Brig. Gen. William B. “Brad” Richy Director 4040 Guard St., Bldg. 600 Boise, Idaho 83705-5004 (208) 422-3040 www.bhs.idaho.gov/
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Illinois Emergency Management Agency Jonathon E. Monken Director 2200 S. Dirksen Pkwy. Springfield, Illinois 62703 (217) 782-2700 www.iema.illinois.gov Indiana Department of Homeland Security John H. Hill Executive Director Indiana Government Center South 302 West Washington St., Room E208 Indianapolis, Indiana 46204-2767 (317) 232-3986 www.in.gov/dhs/emermgtngpgm. htm
Iowa Department Homeland Security & Emergency Management Mark Schouten Director 7900 Hickman Rd., Ste. 500 Windsor Heights, Iowa 50324 (515) 725-3231 www.homelandsecurity.iowa.gov Kansas Division of Emergency Management Maj. Gen. Lee Tafanelli Director 2800 S.W. Topeka Blvd. Topeka, Kansas 66611-1287 (785) 274-1409 www.kansastag.gov/kdem_default. asp Kentucky Emergency Management Michael Dossett Director EOC Building 100 Minuteman Pkwy. Bldg. 100 Frankfort, Kentucky 40601-6168 (502) 607-1682 www.kyem.ky.gov/
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Louisiana Office of Emergency Preparedness Kevin Davis Director 7667 Independence Blvd. Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70806 (225) 925-7500 www.gohsep.la.gov/
Maine Emergency Management Agency Bruce Fitzgerald Director #72 State House Station 45 Commerce Dr., Ste. 2 Augusta, Maine 04333-0072 (207) 624-4400 www.maine.gov/mema CNMI Emergency Management Office Office of the Governor Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands P.O. Box 10007 Saipan, Mariana Islands 96950 (670) 322-9529 www.cnmiemo.gov.mp National Disaster Management Office Office of the Chief Secretary P.O. Box 15 Majuro, Republic of the Marshall Islands 96960-0015 (011)(692) 625-5181
Michigan State Police Emergency Management & Homeland Security Division Michigan Dept. of State Police Capt. Chris A. Kelenske Commander 4000 Collins Rd. Lansing, Michigan 48909-8136 (517) 333-5042 www.michigan.gov/emhsd National Disaster Control Officer Federated States of Micronesia P.O. Box PS-53 Kolonia, Pohnpei - Micronesia 96941 (011)(691) 320-8815 Minnesota Homeland Security and Emergency Management Division Minnesota Dept. of Public Safety Kris Eide Director 444 Cedar St., Ste. 223 St. Paul, Minnesota 55101-6223 (651) 201-7400 www.hsem.state.mn.us Mississippi Emergency Management Agency Robert Latham Director P.O. Box 5644 Pearl, Mississippi 39288-5644 (601) 933-6362 www.msema.org
Maryland Emergency Management Agency Kenneth Mallette Director Camp Fretterd Military Reservation 5401 Rue Saint Lo Dr. Reisterstown, Maryland 21136 (410) 517-3600 www.mema.state.md.us/
Missouri Emergency Management Agency Ron Walker Director 2302 Militia Dr. Jefferson City, Missouri 65102 (573) 526-9100 sema.dps.mo.gov
Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency Kurt N. Schwartz Director 400 Worcester Rd. Framingham, Massachusetts 01702-5399 (508) 820-2000 www.state.ma.us/mema
Montana Division of Disaster & Emergency Services Ed Tinsley Administrator 1956 Mt Majo St. Fort Harrison, Montana 59636-4789 (406) 324-4777 www.montanadma.org/disasterand-emergency-services
Nebraska Emergency Management Agency Bryan Tuma Assistant Director 1300 Military Rd. Lincoln, Nebraska 68508-1090 (402) 471-7421 www.nema.ne.gov
Nevada Division of Emergency Management Chris Smith Chief 2478 Fairview Dr. Carson City, Nevada 89701 (775) 687-0300 www.dem.state.nv.us/
New Hampshire Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management Perry Plummer Director State Office Park South 33 Hazen Dr. Concord, New Hampshire 03305 (603) 271-2231 www.nh.gov/safety/divisions/bem New Jersey Office of Emergency Management Lt. Col. Christian Schulz Assistant State Director River Rd. West Trenton, New Jersey 086280068 (609) 882-2000 ext. 2700 www.ready.nj.gov New Mexico Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management Gregory A. Myers Cabinet Secretary 13 Bataan Blvd. Santa Fe, New Mexico 87502 (505) 476-9600 www.nmdhsem.org/
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Senior Leadership of State Emergency Management and Response Virgin Islands Territorial Emergency Management 2-C Contant, A-Q Building Virgin Islands 00820 (340) 774-2244 New York State Emergency Management Office Jerome M. Hauer, Ph.D. Commissioner 1220 Washington Ave. Bldg. 22, Ste. 101 Albany, New York 12226-2251 (518) 292-2275 www.dhses.ny.gov/oem/
Oregon Emergency Management, Department of State Police David A. Stuckey Director 3225 State St. Salem, Oregon 97309-5062 (503) 378-2911 www.oregon.gov/omd/oem/index. shtml
South Carolina Emergency Management Division Kim Stenson Director 2779 Fish Hatchery Rd. West Columbia, South Carolina 29172 (803) 737-8500 www.scemd.org/
North Carolina Division of Emergency Management Michael Sprayberry Director 1636 Gold Star Dr. 4236 Mail Service Center Raleigh, North Carolina 27607-3371 (919) 825-2500 www.ncem.org/
Palau NEMO Coordinator Office of the President P.O. Box 100 Koror, Republic of Palau 96940 (011)(680) 488-2422 (011)(680) 488-3312
South Dakota Division of Emergency Management Kristi Turman Director 118 West Capitol Pierre, South Dakota 57501 (605) 773-3231 www.oem.sd.gov
North Dakota Department of Emergency Services Greg Wilz Director P.O. Box 5511 Bismarck, North Dakota 58506-5511 (701) 328-8100 www.nd.gov/des
Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency Glenn M. Cannon Director 2605 Interstate Dr. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 171109463 (717) 651-2001 www.pema.pa.gov Puerto Rico Emergency Management Agency Miguel A. RĂos Torres Director P.O. Box 966597 San Juan, Puerto Rico 00906-6597 (787) 724-0124 www2.pr.gov/directorios/pages/ infoagencia.aspx?prifa=021
Ohio Emergency Management Agency Nancy Dragani Executive Director 2855 West Dublin-Granville Rd. Columbus, Ohio 43235-2206 Office: (614) 889-7150 www.ema.ohio.gov/ Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management Albert Ashwood Director 2401 Lincoln Blvd., Ste. C51 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73105 (405) 521-2481 www.ok.gov/oem/
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Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency Jamia R. McDonald Executive Director 645 New London Ave. Cranston, Rhode Island 02920-3003 (401) 946-9996 www.riema.ri.gov
Tennessee Emergency Management Agency David Purkey Interim Director 3041 Sidco Dr. Nashville, Tennessee 37204-1502 (615) 741-0001 www.tnema.org
Virginia Department of Emergency Management Curtis Brown Chief Deputy 10501 Trade Ct. Richmond, Virginia 23236-3713 (804) 897-6500 www.vaemergency.com/ State of Washington Emergency Management Division Robert Ezelle Director Bldg. 20, M/S: TA-20 Camp Murray, Washington 984305122 (253) 512-7000 www.emd.wa.gov/ West Virginia Office of Emergency Services James J. Gianato Director Bldg. 1, Room EB-80 1900 Kanawha Blvd., East Charleston, West Virginia 253050360 (304) 558-5380 www.dhsem.wv.gov/
Texas Division of Emergency Management W. Nim Kidd Assistant Director 5805 N. Lamar Austin, Texas 78773-0220 (512) 424-2138 www.txdps.state.tx.us/dem/ Utah Division of Emergency Services and Homeland Security Kris J. Hamlet Director 1110 State Office Building Salt Lake City, Utah 84114-1710 (801) 538-3400 www.des.utah.gov Vermont Emergency Management Agency Joe Flynn Director Waterbury State Complex 103 South Main St. Waterbury, Vermont 05671-2101 (802) 244-8721 www.dps.state.vt.us/vem/
Wisconsin Emergency Management Brian M. Satula Administrator 2400 Wright St. Madison, Wisconsin 53707-7865 (608) 242-3232 www.emergencymanagement. wi.gov/
Wyoming Homeland Security Guy Cameron Director 5500 Bishop Blvd. Cheyenne, Wyoming 82009 (307) 777-4900 http://hls.wyo.gov www.CGF-kmi.com
ON THE HORIZON
Compiled by KMI Media Group staff
Neutron Detector
NSC C4ISR System Lockheed Martin received a $69 million contract to support the U.S. Coast Guard’s efforts to enforce maritime sovereignty and address at-sea threats. Through this contract received from Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII), Lockheed Martin will provide the command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (C4ISR) system for the U.S. Coast Guard’s seventh national security cutter (NSC), the future USCGC Kimball. Lockheed Martin’s C4ISR system offers comprehensive, real-time situational awareness, commonality and interoperability, which enables
a greater collection and sharing of maritime data. It allows the crew to see vessels in distress or targets of interest; collaborate with other Coast Guard air, sea and land assets; and act on the most current information available. “The NSC’s C4ISR system is critical to ensuring the USCG can support the nation’s maritime strategy,” said Joe Buss, program director of Lockheed Martin’s Coast Guard and Mission Control Systems. “Our brave men and women of the Coast Guard rely on the accuracy and timeliness of the data our system provides to achieve their many missions and maritime operations.”
Arktis Radiation Detectors has announced that it has received a contract award from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to develop the next generation of neutron detectors. The innovative detectors proposed by Arktis should prove up to twice as sensitive and as little as one-tenth of the cost of the systems currently available without using Helium-3, which has very limited availability for non-medical applications. These benefits would give the technology multiple applications across the defense sector and beyond. The capabilities, cost profile and requirements established by DARPA will also address a broad range of applications sought by security agencies as they continue to seek greater effectiveness at lower cost for conducting comprehensive and ubiquitous screening for illicit radioactive and nuclear materials. The competitive contract, awarded under DARPA’s SIGMA Program, contains an option valued at more than $1.2 million for the base year development phase, with the future global market for the new technology expected to be worth millions of dollars. Scientists at Arktis expect to start work on the project in July, and predict that their solution, if successful, could be in full production within three years. Speaking on the award of the DARPA contract, Rico Chandra, CEO of Arktis Radiation Detectors, said, “We are extremely proud to be one of the companies selected by DARPA for a development phase contract for their SIGMA program. This award builds on our reputation for developing advanced state-of-the-art radiation detection systems. We are focused on delivering to DARPA a system that will provide a major step change in current capability.”
Unified Emergency Mass Notification System AtHoc Inc., a provider of network-centric interactive crisis communication, has announced the Navy has renewed its contract with AtHoc through 2017 for a total award of $9.2 million. The renewal reflects the Navy’s continued trust and use of AtHoc IWSAlerts for unified emergency mass notifications to protect the safety of Navy personnel stationed throughout the world. AtHoc’s system supports the Navy’s effort to protect its most valuable assets—the sailors, as well as government, civilian and contractor personnel—from external and internal threats. As part of the three-year contract, AtHoc will continue to serve the Navy and its more than 375,000 personnel throughout 96 bases globally by providing the same advanced critical communications platform used successfully during numerous crisis situations, including last year’s Navy Yard, Washington, D.C., shooting incident. AtHoc’s ability to serve a very large, geographically dispersed enterprise, as well as its mobility capabilities, security, reliability and commitment to superb customer service, are some of the key reasons for its continued successful relationship with the Navy. “We are honored by the continued confidence that the Navy has placed in AtHoc’s solutions for its personnel safety and security needs,” said Dave Brown, vice president, AtHoc Defense and Intelligence Group. “The nature of the work by naval personnel requires us to constantly push the envelope in innovating and developing the most advanced, secure and reliable platform
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for interactive crisis communication. This same commitment carries over to the customers we have in the Army, the Marines and the Air Force.” “The Navy’s private enterprise cloud deployment of AtHoc’s Interactive Warning System on both the Navy Marine Corps Intranet and OCONUS Navy Enterprise Network validates the security, scalability and effectiveness of this critical life safety system,” said Jeff Hoyle, AtHoc’s director of technology and Navy programs. “We look forward to continuing our partnership with the Navy and appreciate the trust and confidence this renewal represents.”
CGF 6.4 | 17
Pacific Guardian
Q& A
Protector of Those on the Sea, Threats from the Sea, and the Sea Itself Vice Admiral Charles W. Ray Commander, Coast Guard Pacific U.S. Coast Guard Vice Admiral Charles W. Ray assumed the duties of commander, Coast Guard Pacific Area in April 2014, where he serves as the operational commander for all U.S. Coast Guard missions within half of the world that ranges from the Rocky Mountains to the waters off the east coast of Africa. He concurrently serves as commander, Defense Force West, and provides Coast Guard mission support to the Department of Defense and combatant commanders. Ray’s previous flag assignments include commander, Fourteenth Coast Guard District; service with U.S. Forces Iraq as director of the Iraq Training and Advisory Mission for the Ministry of Interior; and as the military advisor to the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. Ray is from Newport, Ark., and is a 1981 graduate of the Coast Guard Academy. After an assignment as a deck watch officer aboard Coast Guard cutter Acushnet (WMEC-167), he was selected for naval flight training and earned his wings in 1983. Ray has served at six Coast Guard air stations from Alaska to the Caribbean. He was designated an aeronautical engineer in 1988 and has served as engineering officer at three stations and at the Aviation Logistics Center as the program manager for the development of the Coast Guard’s Aviation Logistics Management System. He commanded Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen, Puerto Rico, from 2002 through 2005. During the course of his career he accumulated over 5,000 hours of helicopter flight time. Ray’s staff assignments include a tour as chief of the Office of Performance Management at Coast Guard Headquarters followed by a tour as the chief of staff of the Fourteenth Coast Guard District. He earned a Master of Science in industrial administration from Purdue University and a Master of Science in national resource strategy from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces in Washington, D.C. Ray’s personal awards include five Legion of Merit Medals, one Bronze Star Medal, two Meritorious Service Medals, one Coast Guard Air Medal, three Coast Guard Commendation Medals and the Coast Guard Achievement Medal. Q: What does Coast Guard Pacific Area look like? How much of your cutter fleet is forward deployed versus the numbers that operate closer to home? A: The Coast Guard’s Pacific Area (PACAREA) is an expansive, diverse and challenging environment encompassing 74 million square miles from the west coast of the United States to the Far East, and from the Arctic to Antarctica. Our area of responsibility includes two-thirds of the world’s oceans, 71 countries in six 18 | CGF 6.4
of seven continents, and 61 percent of the world’s population. PACAREA also contains nine of the top 15 U.S. trading partners. More than 13,000 Coast Guard members, active duty, reservists, civilian and auxiliary members work within PACAREA. Our primary missions in the Pacific Area are to protect those on the sea, our nation from threats delivered by the sea, and the sea itself. To execute those missions in the Pacific Area, we push out our borders and ensure safety on our waterways by conducting tactical operations in three discrete operational zones, which consist of operations more than 50 miles from shore, or the offshore zone; operations less than 50 miles from shore, or the coastal zone; and operations that directly impact the nation’s maritime transportation system, or the inshore zone. We have an intricate and efficient network of assets, authorities, and interagency and international partnerships that help us accomplish our missions in all zones. For example, you may have a cutter patrolling for drugs off the coast of South America in the offshore zone; meanwhile, a port security advisor with the Coast Guard International Port Security Program could be working with a host nation nearby to increase security of their ports. This interconnected system uses overlapping authorities, jurisdiction and assets to ensure a safe and secure global maritime transportation system, and while we can’t divulge the number or location of deployed assets, our missions require www.CGF-kmi.com
and other Coast Guard missions at great distances from shore, keeping threats far from the U.S. mainland. The NSCs also operate differently than the legacy WHECs. For example, we plan to introduce a crew rotation concept for the NSCs in fiscal year 2018. This crew rotation concept means one cutter will have multiple crews and will be underway more often and maintain a more constant presence at sea. The crews will split their underway time, allowing our people to spend more time at home with their families and conduct training and professional development. This concept allows the platform to be more effective by extending the time the cutter can conduct operations.
Coast Guard personnel, vessels and aircraft be deployed around the world and around the clock. Q: What is your share of the new cutters coming online in the coming two years? Will you be exchanging cutters one-for-one or replacing numbers with capabilities? A: The Coast Guard is replacing an aging fleet of cutters with fewer modern cutters. For example, the eight national security cutters, or NSCs, are replacing the 13 legacy high endurance cutters (WHECs) that have been in the fleet since the 1960s. Compare today’s technology with technology from 50 years ago, and yes, you will get more capability with fewer platforms. The new cutters are highly efficient; they do more with fewer crew members and with minimal impact on the environment. Pacific Area, and Alameda specifically, received the first three national security cutters—the cutters Bertholf, Waesche and Stratton. The fourth NSC, Cutter Hamilton, just completed builder’s trials in Pascagula, Miss., and is scheduled to be en route to its new homeport of Charleston, S.C., later this fall. These highly versatile cutters conduct a host of operations from South America to the Bering Sea, where their unmatched combination of range, speed and ability to operate in extreme weather provides the mission flexibility necessary to conduct national defense, counter-narcotics, homeland security and alien migrant interdiction operations, domestic fisheries protection, search and rescue,
Q: Are you expecting any of the C-27J fleet to come your way? A: With the upcoming transfer of the 14 C-27J aircraft from the Air Force, we are evaluating our entire fixed-wing fleet to determine the most effective use of aircraft resources and the best way to incorporate the C-27Js into our service. At this point, we are still deciding where those airframes will be most beneficial to help address the current gap in our maritime patrol aircraft resources. The Coast Guard’s long-range patrol aircraft are critical to securing and protecting our nation’s maritime interests by providing critical intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance to Coast Guard and interagency partners throughout our layered operational zones. They are essential to the early detection of threats to our global supply chain and precious natural resources,
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combating transnational criminal organizations, resolving and mitigating national crises, and defending our nation. The C-27J aircraft is a welcome force multiplier for our service and myriad missions; however, we have to be strategic and deliberate in the aircraft’s deployment across our nation and integration into our aviation fleet to ensure its maximum effectiveness and safe operation. Q: Has the recent decision not to move forward with a heavy icebreaker program—at least in the near term—affected the long range operational plan for your operations in the Arctic and Antarctica? Is there an announced service life on your existing icebreaker fleet? A: While the service remains committed to Beautiful scenery masks the harshness that Alaska can deliver. This Air Station Kodiak HC-130 is taking part in a joint exercise with Providence Kodiak Island Medical Center, the City of Kodiak Fire Department, State of Alaska Department of Health and Human Services the acquisition of a new polar icebreaker, the and the Air Force. [Photo courtesy of U.S. Coast Guard/by Petty Officer 3rd Class Jonathan Klingenberg] current budget environment may require throughout the Pacific Area. We continue to work closely with our examining different options. The Coast Guard’s current position international partners to improve our capability, effectiveness and is that additional funding, from all government stakeholders, for a creditability. These international partnerships provide increased new icebreaker is necessary. situational awareness and act as a force multiplier in all of our The Coast Guard’s present icebreaking fleet consists of two operational zones. heavy icebreakers, the Polar Star and Polar Sea, and one medium We work with our partner countries on a regular basis to ensure icebreaker, the Healy. Both Polar Star and Polar Sea are beyond unity of effort. Most notably, we foster important relationships durtheir planned service life; however, we recently completed an extening the annual North Pacific Coast Guard Forum, which was created sive overhaul of the Polar Star to extend its service life seven to in 2000 and will be hosted in San Francisco this year. The forum 10 years. The Polar Sea is currently inactive and moored at Base promotes information sharing and fosters international cooperative Seattle. The Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 2012 efforts relating to safeguarding international maritime commerce, prohibits our service from decommissioning the vessel. stemming illegal drug trafficking, protecting fisheries and deterring This leaves us with two functional icebreaking platforms, Coast human smuggling. The forum membership includes coast guards Guard cutters Healy and Polar Star, which are sufficient to address and other maritime organizations from Canada, China, Japan, the Coast Guard’s icebreaking needs and missions in the Arctic and Korea, Russia and the United States. Antarctic for the next seven to 10 years. A couple of those missions I also recently attended the kick off to Rim of the Pacific 2014, include conducting and supporting scientific research and mainor “RIMPAC,” which is the world’s largest international maritime taining navigable waterways. For example, Polar Star participated exercise. RIMPAC began in 1971 and is a unique training opporin Operation Deep Freeze 2014 earlier this year by helping to resuptunity that helps participants foster and sustain the cooperative ply the National Science Foundation Scientific Research Station in relationships that are critical to ensuring the safety of sea-lanes and McMurdo, Antarctica. The Coast Guard has been performing this security on the world’s oceans. The Coast Guard’s long-time particimission for the past 50 years, and this was the first time since 2006 pation in RIMPAC highlights our service’s unique capabilities and that the Polar Star has made this journey. Research in the polar partnerships with Department of Defense entities and international regions helps our nation and humanity better understand polar partners with equities in the Pacific Rim. Our involvement in the environments and their vast resources; research is also focused on 2014 exercise demonstrates the Coast Guard’s growing leadership the broad implications of global climate change for our nation. role in the Pacific, with the cutter Waesche acting as a task force The Coast Guard is an integral part of ensuring this important commander leading a multinational naval fleet through a wide array research can be conducted by some of our nation’s top scientists in of exercises and scenarios. partnership with the National Science Foundation. Q: Former commandant Admiral Papp toured several Pacific Rim countries during his last year in command. Has there been any follow-up with those countries on closer ties and partnerships? A: Admiral Papp was strengthening already close ties between the U.S. Coast Guard and our international partners on the Pacific Rim. Our mission success hinges on our ability to leverage robust, enduring and trusted partnerships with international agencies 20 | CGF 6.4
Q: This question involves your command’s role in monitoring the oil industry from pipelines, to tankers, to drill rigs. What equipment, gear and supplies are in readiness to immediately respond to an oil spill? A: One of our primary missions is to protect the environment and our citizens, and the Coast Guard is always ready to respond to an incident whether it is an oil spill, hazardous substance release, or www.CGF-kmi.com
weapons of mass destruction incident. However, our most important tools in environmental protection are planning and prevention. We have hundreds of marine inspectors in the Pacific Area diligently checking foreign and U.S. vessels and facilities for compliance with environmental and safety regulations. In the Pacific Area, our industry stakeholders use a variety of methods for transporting hazardous and environmentally-sensitive products, which are heavily regulated and closely monitored by the Coast Guard and numerous federal, state and local partners. In the case of waterside facilities and vessel operators, the Coast Guard requires them to have plans in place that include safety protocol, emergency response procedures and regular crew training. We want to know what their plan is if an emergency, like an oil spill, should occur. This planning process includes identifying equipment, personnel and resources to mitigate the effects of a hazardous material release. The Coast Guard carefully examines each plan prior to an emergency to ensure it is adequate, and if there is ever an incident, our service ensures they follow their plan for clean up and mitigation. The lion’s share of Coast Guard environmental protection missions occur in prevention and planning, which are hands down the most effective and practical ways of ensuring the safety and viability of our maritime transportation system. If natural or man-made disasters occur, our forces are always ready to respond rapidly and effectively to protect our nation, mitigate the incident, minimize the impact and facilitate recovery. To do so, we have a number of resources and authorities available to immediately take action. At the field level, we have Coast Guardsmen who are trained to immediately respond to oil and hazardous material spill incidents. These individuals are also empowered to immediately begin directing response personnel, assets, and operations as well as investigating the source and securing it. We also have a variety of assets and resources strategically prepositioned to counter a chemical or hazardous material release throughout the Pacific Area. Regionally, each of our 225-foot sea-going buoy tenders carry the Spilled Oil Recovery System, or SORS, equipment aboard to respond to an oil spill. These cutters are strategically stationed throughout PACAREA. At the national level, the Pacific Strike Team in Novato, Calif., one of three deployable specialized teams that make up the National Strike Force, responds to incidents throughout the Pacific Area of operations. Pacific Strike Team personnel are trained in equipment deployment, source control and removal of oil, shoreline assessment, site safety, incident management, salvage monitoring and liquid transfer, contractor and responsible party oversight, and are able to provide qualified federal on-scene coordinators. Some of the equipment they can deploy in response to an incident includes the vessel of opportunity skimming system, various types of containment and absorbent boom, damage assessment tools, and advanced monitoring equipment like fluorometers and datarams, which help responders closely monitor a hazardous material release and the progress of clean efforts. Q: What are your organic maintenance and overhaul capabilities and how do you fill in the gaps in those and address your maintenance needs? A: Locally, crews perform routine maintenance on the cutters, air frames and small boats to ensure mission readiness. www.CGF-kmi.com
Overall, the Coast Guard’s logistics enterprise is nationally managed to provide parts and service. For instance, our bases provide one-stop shopping for all operations afloat and shore-side maintenance and logistics support. Each base falls under the Coast Guard’s deputy commandant for mission support organization at Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington, D.C. Air stations receive their support from Aviation Logistics Command in Elizabeth City, N.C., and our cutters receive support from Surfaces Forces Logistics Command in Norfolk, Va. We don’t have a Coast Guard Yard on the West Coast, but to fill that gap, we contract dry dock times at local shipyards to perform maintenance. Specific to Pacific Area at the moment, we have our national security cutter support team that provides assistance and support to these critical, long-range Coast Guard assets. The personnel assigned to this unit provide a force multiplier for the cutters, which allows us to quickly conduct maintenance and repairs that keep the national security cutters underway doing our nation’s important work. Q: Does the Coast Guard have responsibility for monitoring and measuring water quality for radioactivity resulting from the Fukashima Daiichi nuclear plant in Japan? A: The Coast Guard is not responsible for monitoring and measuring water quality. With regards to radioactivity levels directly related to the Fukashima nuclear plant incident, there are state agencies and academic researchers who have taken this project on. Our Defense Strategies Institute:
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main role has been to support the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which is the lead agency directed to conduct research, monitoring, prevention and reduction activities in regards to marine debris. Q: PACAREA oversees the Deployable Operations Group. Is this a force size that is stable or is the group expected to increase in size? How can technology improve its capabilities? A: The Deployable Operations Group, or DOG, was stood up in 2007 to solidify the commandant’s vision to align deployable forces under one operational commander. The DOG became the sole force manager for all Coast Guard deployable specialized forces. Its mission was to provide properly equipped, trained and organized adaptive force packages to the Coast Guard, Depart- The Kigluaik Mountains are visible in the distance with the Coast Guard Cutter Healy in the foreground breaking ice. [Photo courtesy ment of Homeland Security, Department of of U.S. Coast Guard/by Petty Officer 2nd Class Charly Hengen] Defense, and interagency operational and Q: Any closing thoughts? tactical commanders. The DOG was dissolved in 2013 after the commandant directed A: The Coast Guard is a small service with big missions that an internal review of the service’s deployable specialized forces. The impact nearly all facets of American life. The clothes Americans conclusion was that the DOG’s units and functions would better be wear and the cars they drive are delivered via a maritime transsupported if integrated back into the Coast Guard enterprise with portation system that the Coast Guard is charged with maintainoperational and administrative control residing with the Pacific and ing and protecting to ensure the continued prosperity, security Atlantic Area commanders. and safety of our nation. Additionally, we have established a repuWith that decision, the maritime safety and security teams, tation as one of the world’s premier crisis response organizations. strategically located throughout the nation, were regionalized and Our service regularly rises to meet ever-changing man-made and placed under their geographic area commander. At the same time, natural disasters which threaten our way of life and humanity. We the port security units were realigned to the Pacific Area comare unparalleled as a humanitarian organization, and more than mander, and the tactical law enforcement teams and strike teams 1 million people owe their lives to the Coast Guard. Our success were assigned to the Atlantic Area commander. hinges on our most important resource—our people. In regards to expanding, in 2013 the Coast Guard made the In my more 30 years of service, the quality, dedication and decision to expand the dive program and implement a diver rating professionalism of our nation’s Coast Guard men and women and diver chief warrant officer specialty. This expansion in the Coast never ceases to amaze me. The men and women of the Coast Guard dive program will establish full-time professional divers and Guard are a unique and elite breed of U.S. servicemembers. They improve safety for the program on the whole while simultaneously are quiet heroes who, on a daily basis, save lives, stop transnaproviding a greater return on investment to the American public. tional criminals, protect the environment and fight our nation’s The Coast Guard’s deployable specialized forces are always lookwars with little fanfare or attention. Most of them could care less ing for ways to increase proficiency and reduce risk. Technological if the local TV station is at the pier when they return home. They advances provide opportunities to achieve this goal and improve didn’t join the Coast Guard for attention or to be a hero. efficiencies. They joined because what Coast Guard men and women do and stand for on and off duty. Simply put, the men and women Q: How does your office coordinate with or simply ensure safe operof the Coast Guard live to protect, defend, save, and shield our ations of high seas fishing television shows like Deadliest Catch? nation, humanity and the environment against all threats. That’s a tall order for a military service about the size of the uniformed A: The Coast Guard’s primary concern as a whole is safety of life at New York City Police Department. However, Coast Guard men sea, safety of people, and safety of the environment. All of the vessels and women are committed to excellence in all they do and live that head out to sea, including the ones you see in television shows, the Coast Guard’s core values, and because of that, our service must comply with Coast Guard safety regulations before getting will remain Always Ready to safeguard America’s security and underway. prosperity no matter the threat. Our greatest strength has always The part of the world the vessel operates in [determines] what been and will always continue to be our people. district will conduct the vessel’s inspections, and what district will Semper Paratus. O answer the call for search and rescue operations as needed. 22 | CGF 6.4
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Special Section
A multitude of issues come into play when trying to accurately maneuver in Arctic waters. With more emphasis on the Arctic, the level of commercial traffic and government survey and economic zone surveillance traffic will be increasing dramatically in the coming years. What are the technological hurdles that need to be addressed to close
the gaps in accurate navigation capabilities in the Arctic region? Coast Guard and Border Security recently asked several leading industry experts for their views on these challenges and approaches to solving them.
Furuno Matt Wood Sales Manager, Furuno USA Inc. How often are navigators accustomed to seeing PD (position doubtful) or PA (position approximate) on their charts? In the Arctic, those notations are common, as well as charts covering vast areas of ocean with one or only a few lines of soundings. Judging the accuracy and adequacy of charts and resolving how to best navigate on them is vital for polar navigators. Chart title block information and information on survey dates informs the navigator about the method of survey used when that one precious line of soundings was developed. If the survey of a nearshore area was completed in the 1920s, for example, flags would have been set up on shore and positioning done using horizontal
sextant angles. In this instance, positioning the ship in relation to the closest points of land is far more likely to place you coincident to the soundings than any GPS position. Although having electronic charts can allow for integrated displays and enhanced safety, we must be cautious not to hide or eliminate data that is useful during the passage-planning and real-time navigation phases of the trip. Knowing that a hazard has a PA from a survey in the 1950s may well require a safety margin of several miles, not cables, depending on several factors. Once again the navigator must scour the information at hand to determine the safest course of action. The technological challenge is to keep the information available to the navigation team in a form and format that is easy to access and use. The electronic chart developers, while taking on a large and useful task, must consider how all of the data currently available is used for safely navigating poorly-charted areas of the Arctic.
Hammurabi Consulting Captain Jack Gallagher Technological hurdles to safe navigation in the Arctic include integrity of communication and accuracy of position fixing. While there are purely terrestrial forms of communication that will work in the Arctic (VHF, MF/HF or SSB J Gallagher long-range radiotelephone), there are few satellite communications devices with completely reliable performance available for northern latitudes. While SATCOMs will be more of interest generally for www.CGF-kmi.com
business/office, shipboard LAN functions, “pure” safety concerns generally recommend that some form of satellite communication be available in the interests of redundancy to the line-of-sight and other means of radio transmission. We can presume that the interests of crew welfare, so often remarked upon in other areas of commercial carriage, will remain in evidence in the Arctic. In the assumption that Arctic trade would expand to include ongoing, repetitive and possibly lengthy personnel assignments to these routes, a crewmember accustomed to everyday access to phone, email and Internet on more southern routes would likely feel entitled to the same benefits in the more CGF 6.4 | 23
Special Section hostile environment up north. While not critical for safety per se, the availability of VSAT, fleet broadband and high throughput satellite communications might prove essential to attract navigators and mariners experienced enough to ensure safe vessel operation. Comparable to the challenges in satellite communications, the look angle at which many GPS satellites will be seen by shipborne equipment will likely result in some loss of position accuracy, which will become more pronounced as latitude increases. Without a redundant satellite-based or terrestrially-based augmentation system (SBAS or something like Differential GPS), we can
surmise that some vessels, especially those more poorly equipped, may experience some aggravated loss of situational awareness, which could present a threat to safety of navigation. Echo-sounding and underwater mapping also present challenges in the Arctic environment. Much work needs to be done to provide detailed sounding of areas previously fully covered (and still covered much of the year) in ice. While grounding seems an unlikely threat, little is known of Arctic underwater topography. Prudent mariners will likely want reliable depth sounding data on any navigation charts used in Arctic waters.
Northrop Grumman David Blevins Systems Engineer, Navigation & Maritime Systems Division Indeed, environmental changes have been reducing the Arctic’s oncepermanent ice cover. As Rear Admiral Jonathan White noted, “We’re growing a new ocean.” As the capability for commercial ships to traverse Arctic routes grows, the importance of these routes for transport and for energy exploration or access to other resources will drive up the level of commercial ship operation there. Unfortunately, typical commercial navigation systems that provide the full performance necessary for navigation at most locations simply may not work properly at Arctic latitudes. For example, if a radar is not designed for high-latitude operation, true trails of ships passing near the Pole displayed in a north-stabilized image may tend to rotate around the screen, in extreme cases creating a “washing machine effect” on the display. Beyond 85 degrees latitude, Mercator projections are not considered usable for navigation. Rhumb lines appear as straight lines on a Mercator projection map, but have a true geodetic path that gradually spirals into the Pole. The same transformation would change the path of straight (great circle) tracks and the line of sight from visual bearings to be displayed as curves with significantly increasing non-linearity approaching the poles. At low latitudes, this divergence is of little consequence. Generally, beyond 70 degrees latitude the consequences become severe for all aspects of electronic charting, route planning and voyage execution. Also, at such latitudes the course of a vessel or true bearing of an object (the horizontal angle measured clockwise from true north) begins to lose useful meaning. Ship motion extrapolated into the future (a straight track along a great circle) does not follow a constant north-referenced bearing. Alternative systems of projection and coordinates specialized for polar regions have been established to correct this situation, but their use has not been standardized. Commercial inertial navigation systems and gyrocompasses have operational issues at Arctic latitudes. These sensors characterize the Earth’s rotation to accurately determine heading. As a ship approaches the pole, the magnitude of the Earth’s rotation is minimized and becomes much more difficult to sense. Consequently, the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) draft Polar Code mandates that ships proceeding beyond 80 degrees be fitted with at
24 | CGF 6.4
least one GPS-based compass or equivalent. However, the IMO has specified minimum performance requirements only for latitudes up to 60 degrees, or 70 degrees for high-speed craft. Deficiencies in commercially available navigation data for the Arctic region also pose a challenge to polar navigation. A recent International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) electronic chart display and information system (ECDIS) review observed that, at present, few electronic navigation charts (ENCs) are available for polar waters in Navigation Purpose bands 3 through 6 (coastal, approach, harbor and berthing). And while modern commercial navigation radars exist which provide enhanced ice-detection capabilities, there is an unmet need for discrimination of different types of ice and no standards to define and verify that performance. The standardized display of ice area information on ECDIS and chart radar is a capability envisioned in the future, based on the IHO S-100 framework. Today, the navigation systems in use by the U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard have been proven to provide the technological capabilities necessary to meet the challenges above. At Northrop Grumman, we have been in the forefront of implementing the unique capabilities required by the military for Arctic navigation, as developers of: • AN/WSN7 and AN/WSN7A inertial navigation systems. These systems are the U.S. Navy programs of record for all surface combatant ships and all Virginia, Los Angeles and Sea Wolf class submarines, and are also used on each of the Coast Guard’s polar icebreakers. • Voyage Management System, the U.S. Navy’s ECDISN program of record. • VEGA, the new ECDIS to be deployed throughout the U.S. Coast Guard. In the meantime, the leading standards organizations are working diligently to define and implement the necessary standards to ensure safety of navigation in the Arctic. As a first step, IMO adopted initial Guidelines for Ships Operating in Polar Waters [Resolution A.1024(26)] in 2010. Northrop Grumman is sharing our experience in Arctic navigation to define and implement test requirements for high-latitude navigation in the newest updates to the specifications for navigation radar, ECDIS and the coming S-10x family of ENC and GIS products. O
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By mitigating the rough ride in small boats, crew injury and fatigue will be reduced as well. By Peter Buxbaum, CGF Correspondent The latest generation of shock mitigating seats for small boats has proved to be so good that it has produced a negative side effect. As crews become more comfortable, they push the boats harder, and the harder they push the boats, the more likely the boats develop issues. A case in point: Seaspension received an order a couple of years ago for the delivery of shock mitigating seats for 35 air ice boats to be manufactured by Midwest Air Rescue for the U.S. Coast Guard. Unfortunately for the companies, the Coast Guard stopped the contract after one year. Word on the street was that the Coast Guard wasn’t pleased with the boats, but Seaspension did receive accolades for the seats. “What we heard was that crewmembers were operating the vessels at much higher speeds than they were supposed to over ice and were damaging the boats,” said Peter Burer, president of Seaspension Technologies Inc. “That was actually a compliment to us because if they didn’t have proper seating they wouldn’t have been able to operate the boats the way they did. The only feedback we heard about our products was that the crewmembers thought they were great.” The Coast Guard has a general requirement that its new vessels be equipped with shock mitigating seats. The boat builder picks the seat that best matches his platform. In some cases, older craft have been retrofitted with newer shock mitigation seats. The USCG Office of Boat Forces is the program office that oversees boats and crews. “We are responsible for the training and www.CGF-kmi.com
professionalism of the crews,” said David Shepard, a USCG project officer. “On the boat side, we write requirements and specifications for the boats. We don’t dictate the way to solve problems when we write the requirements. The boat manufacturer chooses the seats that best fit its platform.” Although Shepard thinks highly of the shock mitigating seats currently being procured by the Coast Guard, the feedback he is getting indicates that there is still a possibility for the seats to bottom out, increasing the risk of crew injury, thanks, no doubt, to enhanced expectations the crew has from their vessels. “The seats work well and isolate the crew from a majority of shocks,” said Shepard, “but it is still possible to for the seats to bottom out because the crew takes the boats to their limits.” Shepard’s office is looking into the development and deployment of some mechanism that would provide feedback to the coxswain so that he or she knows how far the seats are from bottoming out or hurting a crewmember. “We are investigating a green-amber-red [lighting] system,” he said. “The amber light would represent the cautionary zone and the possibility of an incident. The red light would indicate that there is a real possibility of someone getting hurt. We want to provide that feedback with a visual display so that the crew can make better judgments and prevent someone from getting hurt. “The coxswain may not be exceeding the limit of a seat for a small female,” Shepard
added. “But they may be reaching the limit for the 220-pound male sitting next to her. They won’t know that unless they are getting feedback.” Shepard sees two options for providing the required feedback: with accelerometers or a linear measure of how far the seat is depressed. “We are trying to keep it simple,” he said. “Crews tend to move back and forth between positions in the boat. We don’t want to have a lot of customization that would require crewmembers to mess with dials every time they sit down. We just want them to be able to get in the boat and go.” The USCG Office of Boat Forces is at a preliminary stage of this investigation. “We may write a requirement for this to be incorporated in all future seat acquisitions,” said Shepard. “We might also backfit such a system to existing seats ourselves.” The Coast Guard is also looking at multiaxis shock mitigating seats. These seats would protect crews against side-to-side, as well as up-and-down, movements. “We are interested in all kinds of new technologies,” said Shepard, “but the process is also budgetdriven. We don’t have an unlimited budget and it depends on what it costs.” Meanwhile, Burer is in touch with a potential customer in India looking for sideimpact absorption. “They want shock mitigation not just on the z-axis but also on the x and y,” he said. “We have that in our single pedestal system. It is not a rigid pedestal, so it absorbs horizontal as well as vertical shocks.” Shockwave offers such multi-axis protection in its patented system, noted CGF 6.4 | 25
David Smith, the company’s president. “It’s important, because if I’m sitting vertical I can take a certain amount of shock and vibration with a single-axis system. But if I’m knocked sideways by a horizontal force, my body is leaning over in one direction. Now the body is out of alignment and that represents a danger to the spine if I’m again slammed from the top. The multi-axis system allows a crewmember to sit upright as it mitigates the side-to-side and fore-and-aft loads to the spine that are the most dangerous,” he said. Shockwave seating uses the Fox Float air spring suspension, a progressive-rate air spring with a speed-sensing damper mounted inside the air chamber made specifically for Shockwave by Fox Defense. “The shock absorber automatically adjusts to changes in payload, air pressure and piston velocity to provide the correct dampening,” said Smith. “The Float suspension moves a minimal amount in relation to the vessel and the vessel controls, allowing seats to be mounted closer to instruments and controls.” Additional protections are provided by an extra volume canister, the Accuride Adjustment System, which allows the user to optimize the seat for his or her situation, and a backup system to provide additional protection against bottoming and topping. “The first and most obvious benefit of the system is the improved ride dampening it provides in multiple directions,” said Smith. “This takes shock mitigating seating to the next level as far as passenger comfort and in absorbing forces that can take the body out of position and cause injury.” Multi-axis shock mitigating seating can present ergonomics issues because, as the seat moves in response to forces, the controls of the boat typically stay put. “The seat is traveling up and down as much as 8 inches while the controls remain in one location,” said Smith. “This causes crewmembers to reach and stretch to access the controls and that makes their bodies vulnerable to falling out of a safe position. That is when injuries tend to occur.” Shockwave has dealt with this problem by developing its integrated control environment (ICE). “ICE is all about bundling everything up, the seating, instruments and controls, and putting them all on the same platform,” said Smith. “It is much easier to see and operate controls and electronics because they move with the occupants. The crew can be comfortably packed into a tighter space. The close crew 26 | CGF 6.4
proximity of the ICE provides a collaborative, high situational awareness, protected environment.” The shock and vibration forces that the ICE is capable of absorbing are likely to cause problems with electronics and hardware, according to Smith. “However,” he added, “with everything in suspension they are fully protected along with the crew.” ICE provides 16 inches of suspension travel in the vertical axis and 3 degrees of pitch and roll dampening. “Pitch and roll control filters out much of the side-to-side and fore-and-aft shock and vibration,” said Smith. Smith took the ICE on an 8,000-mile journey through Canada’s Northwest Passage in 2010, the first-ever crossing of the Northwest Passage in a rigid inflatable boat. Shockwave is now supplying the ICE multiaxis, suspended console to Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue on the west coast of Canada. U.S. Special Operations Command will be incorporating ICE into its newest boat, according to Smith. “ICE is a customizable solution with seating for up to six persons,” said Smith. “Hard or soft sides can be added and the roof can be deleted if an open cockpit is required.” Seaspension recently introduced a dualdamper shock mitigating seat that would accommodate crewmembers of diverse sizes and weights. “The dual-damper system will allow anywhere from the fifth percentile female by weight to the 95th percentile male to be seated and protected from shocks without the use of tools or any kind of adjustment,” said Burer. That would cover women as light as 100 pounds to men as heavy as 250 pounds. Seaspension’s dual-damper system incorporates two independent shock absorbers to regulate those weights. “The mechanism in the damper responds directly to forces,” said Burer. “The seat can accommodate different sizes of personnel on a variety of missions subjected to different sea states without having to adjust the damping mechanism.” Seaspension has sold a number of these seats to the Indian Coast Guard. Seaspension’s single-pedestal system is a technology that has changed little in the last 12 years. “We’ve heard from customers who have gone through three engine changes but the single-pedestal system still works,” said Burer. One big advantage to the system, Burer added, is that it is much less expensive than some of its alternatives.
X-Craft, a Dutch company, builds seats with a patented wishbone shock mitigation system. The suspension system is provided by titanium wishbones instead of a sliding mechanism found on most other seats. “The specially-built X-Craft shock absorber reduces the risk of injuries and means near zero maintenance,” said Sytse De Vlas, the sales director at X-Craft. “A fully adjustable spring tension and damping depending on user’s weight provides correct shock mitigation. The foam used in the seats and backrests are built and shaped out of multiple layers providing the best comfort and support. Our ergonomic design enhances comfort, which is especially important for endurance operations.” One of X-Craft’s design philosophies is to produce seats that mitigate forward forces as well as vertical ones. “Especially on heavier boats, the forces tend to push occupants forward and less up and down,” said De Vlas. “We have developed a new system that we are incorporating in our new seats which reflects that same philosophy.” X-Craft is currently developing a new seat that it plans on introducing later this year. “It is a completely new seat with many new features,” said De Vlas. “It is built from stainless steel; it is adjustable in every way you can imagine. The strike angle can be changed and the high position can be set to various heights. The seat can be adjusted for people of different heights and weights. The same seat can be used in small vessels and large ones.” X-Craft has been in discussions with the U.S. Coast Guard and the Navy about the acquisition of its new seats. As for the Coast Guard, the seat feedback issue remains front and center for those, like Dave Shepard, who concern themselves with the safety of crews. “The feedback issue is the thing we are looking at more than anything else,” he said. “We are also focused on improved shock mitigation. Anything we can get that is better would be great. “There has been an amazing progression in the improvement of shock mitigating seats that we have seen in the last 10 to 15 years,” Shepard added. “Industry has responded well to the needs of our operators. There is still more room to grow, but we’ve come a long way.” O For more information, contact Editor-In-Chief Jeff McKaughan at jeffm@kmimediagroup.com or search our online archives for related stories at www. cgf-kmi.com.
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This index is provided as a service to our readers. KMI cannot be held responsible for discrepancies due to last-minute changes or alterations.
USCGF RESOURCE CENTER Advertisers index
Calendar
AgustaWestland S.P.A. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C4 www.agustawestland.com
September 9-10, 2014 Fleet Maintenance & Modernization Symposium Virginia Beach, Va. www.navalengineers.org
Defense Strategies Institute. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 www.bordersecuritysummit.dsigroup.org IDGA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 www.homelandsecurityweek.com Security Devices International Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 www.securitydii.com Trijicon Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 www.trijicon.com
September 16-17, 2014 U.S.-Canada Border Conference Detroit, Mich. www.beyond-border.com September 16-18, 2014 Global Identity Summit Tampa, Fla. www.afcea.org
October 6-9, 2014 Homeland Security Week Washington, D.C. www.homelandsecurityexpo.com November 19-20, 2014 Launch & Recovery Linthicum, Md. www.navalengineers.org December 3-5, 2014 International Workboat Show New Orleans, La. www.workboatshow.com
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CGF 6.4 | 27
INDUSTRY INTERVIEW
U.S. Coast Guard & Border Security
Gary Masterson Vice President Buffalo Computer Graphics Inc. Q: What are your primary business areas with the Homeland Security community? A: Buffalo Computer Graphics Inc. (BCG) has four primary business areas—maritime training solutions, incident management systems, mass notification systems, and custom hardware and software engineering. Our maritime simulation products have been used by the U.S. Coast Guard since 1989 in both training and testing environments. Our incident management software, DisasterLAN (DLAN), has been used in emergency operation centers (EOCs) internationally and at all divisions of government, including state and regional homeland security and emergency management offices. It has also been used for cross-border exercises between the United States and Canada, particularly between longtime users Erie County, N.Y., and Niagara Region, Ontario. Q: How have you adjusted your Department of Homeland Security-related business to maximize efficiencies and help keep costs down? A: DLAN gives EOCs a cost-effective COTS solution that is also highly configurable and flexible. It is designed to work across multiple platforms, browsers and operating systems. Its responsive design operates on virtually any mobile device, including iPhones, iPads, and Android and Windows devices, so organizations can use whatever technology they have available instead of needing to buy specific devices. Since DLAN is modularly designed, an organization can pick only the functions they need and quickly scale up the solution if more functionality is necessary. DLAN offers both on-premise and hosted SAS solutions, allowing organizations to pick what works best for their needs and budget. BCG works with DHS customers to understand their particular workflow and configures the software to fit in with their day-to-day operations. DLAN also includes an advanced system administration toolset that allows customers to tailor every aspect 28 | CGF 6.4
of the product to meet the specific needs of their organization, even on the fly during an emergency. Being able to utilize the software not just in emergency situations but also in daily operations eliminates the need for multiple software packages, increasing efficiency while keeping costs down. Q: How do you coordinate your business development efforts to make sure they match what the agencies within Department of Homeland Security are looking for? A: DLAN was specifically designed with the needs of DHS in mind. It is built in line with the incident command system (ICS) methodology, operational processes and structure. It also supports National Incident Management System (NIMS)-type resources and is IPAWS, CMAS and MASAS interoperable. DLAN staff are required to have been trained in the Incident Command System and National Response Framework through the ICS 800 level. All of our maritime simulation products are designed around IMO/STCW requirements to ensure that our DHS customers are trained in accordance with international and national standards. BCG maintains a large in-house engineering staff tasked with continuous research and development to implement the quickly-changing technology and best practices of the DHS community. Q: What do you see as major challenges over the next 12 months and how are you addressing them? A: We foresee three major challenges over the next year: increasing use of mobile
devices, increasing importance of social media, and decreased staffing in EOCs. BCG engineers go through an iterative development process to optimize our software for mobile devices and tablets, including implementing a responsive design and enhancing touchscreen capabilities. Being able to view and analyze social media has become increasingly important during incidents. For example, the newest version of DLAN allows users to view, monitor and respond to tweets from specific Twitter accounts or ones that include a specific keyword or hashtag. As budgets become tighter, EOCs have seen a decrease in staffing. BCG helps customers deal with decreased staff by providing trained IMT support, just-in-time training and 24/7 technical support during activations. As new challenges arise, BCG will continue to advance our product offerings to meet the needs of the DHS community. Q: Is partnering with other companies an important part of your business strategy? A: Our business partners are a key component to our success. Our partners allow us to provide a full suite of incident management solutions, not just a software product, to help with all of the stages of emergency management: preparedness, response, recovery and mitigation. They also help us to provide increased services, including EOC design, risk and emergency planning, exercise/drill creation, and personnel and public claims adjustment and recovery. BCG also partners with several large defense contractors to supply our radar simulation products to DHS customers to facilitate mission readiness. Q: How do you measure success? A: BCG’s main measurement of success is customer satisfaction with our products and services. Two other gauges for our success are the amount of business we have received from long-term partnerships and referrals from existing customers. O www.CGF-kmi.com
NextIssue
October 2014 Volume 6, Issue 5
Cover and In-Depth Interview with:
Mark Borkowski
Assistant Commissioner Office of Technology Innovation and Acquisition U.S. Customs and Border Protection
special section Annual Coast Guard Program Updates The Coast Guard provides its annual review of major elements of its acquisition programs to U.S. Coast Guard & Border Security.
Features EO/IR on the Border
Protective Coatings
Precise surveillance optics capable of multi-mode operations help secure the border.
More than just paint, protective coatings reduce costs, reduce additional workload and generate longer life cycles on expensive equipment items.
ID Technology Biometric systems are key to identifying and tracking persons of interest.
CBRN Decontamination Protecting crisis responders from dangerous and toxic elements is a number-one priority.
Noise and Vibration Control Noise and vibration are both bad things in a cutter at sea. Mitigating their effects is better for the crew and the cutter itself.
Bonus Distribution: Homeland Security Conference Insertion Order Deadline: September 22, 2014 • Ad Materials Deadline: September 29, 2014
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