Forensics Talk

Florida Attorney General Revealing New Strategies For Bioterrorism Preparedness

Medical News Today

Article Date: 10 Jun 2010 - 1:00 PDT

 

     "Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum joined Tampa, Fla. industry leader and decontamination company Zimek Technologies along with Central Florida Fire Chief John Williamson during a special press conference today in Winter Garden, Fla. to jointly announce important homeland security initiatives and key bio-terrorism preparedness. Two leading innovators of technology using anthrax abatement who participated were Joe Mantilla, VP of Corporate Affairs of Zimek® Technologies and Brian Larson, CEO of sBioMed® of Orem, Utah.

"As we've all been reminded recently, the threat of terrorism on American soil has not abated. Law enforcement and first responders, on the front lines of America's homeland security, need every tool at their disposal to respond should another attack happen," said McCollum. . . " Read More

Rehearsing The Evacuation Of 70,000 Sports Fans In Less Than An Hour, With The Aid Of Avatars

Medical News Today

Article Date: 12 Apr 2010 - 1:00 PDT

" What sports fan hasn't grumbled while waiting in a long, snaking lines to get into the stadium for the big game? It's enough to discourage even a diehard fan. But if you think it's a hassle getting into a sold-out game, imagine trying to get out after a bomb explodes - or even to get out under a bomb threat, for that matter.

Let's start with the emergency lights failing. If you're thinking of feeling your way out by the light of your cell phone, join the crowd - they're right beside you, pushing fifty-across and a thousand-deep in a stampede. It's everyone for himself.

Scenes like this may sound like a trailer for a Hollywood thriller (think Black Sunday), but their grim prospect is all-too-real. Last year, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the FBI jointly warned of terrorist interest in attacking crowded stadiums. Small wonder: A bomb or noxious plume released over a throng of captive sports fans would cause major-league mayhem and terror.

Mindful of the threat, stadium sentinels have been laying plans to manage and minimize the anarchy that would follow such an attack. Just how would authorities whisk 70,000 people out the gates and onto the roads quickly and safely? For an evacuation on this scale, there are no dress rehearsals or practice drills-just simulation software.

Now, a new breed of simulation software - dubbed SportEvac - is being funded by the DHS Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) as part of the Southeast Region Research Initiative (SERRI), and developed and tested by the National Center for Spectator Sports Safety & Security (NCS4) at the University of Southern Mississippi. . . " Read More