Open Source Homeland

Just caring.

The Safety Lessons of Columbine, Re-Examined – WSJ.com
The district gave Westwood High a metal detector a few years back, and it is in daily use at the entrance. But Ms. Carter is far more enamored of her low-tech approach: “Being visible,” she said. “And that’s no cost.”

Fran Spielman has the story:

City quietly builds backup 911 site at O’Hare Airport :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: City Hall
Amid cloak-and-dagger secrecy, the Daley administration is building a backup 911 center at O’Hare Airport to handle emergency calls if a terrorist attack or natural disaster damages Chicago’s primary facility in the West Loop, City Hall sources said Wednesday.

Sources said the backup facility will be located in an O’Hare building that houses the airport’s communications nerve center.

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DC Community Preparedness
The District of Columbia Homeland Security Emergency Management Agency (HSEMA) is sponsoring a series of community trainings and exercises to help District neighborhoods be prepared in the event of a disaster.

More here from Alert DC:

DC HSEMA community exercise tomorrow, February 7, 10 a.m. at Marshall Heights Community Development Organization 3939 Benning Road, NE. Residents and business owners in Benning, Benning Heights, Burrville, Capitol View, Deanwood, Fort Dupont, Grant Park, Eastland Gardens, Fairmont Heights, Greenway, Kenilworth, Lincoln Heights, Marshall Heights, Mayfair and River Terrace should attend. Register now at www.dccommunitypreparedness.org or call (202) 338-7153, ext. 212.

Strong Angel III | Strong Angel III
THE DEMONSTRATION

What will happen? Organizations and individuals participating in Strong Angel III are volunteering their time and resources to explore innovations in humanitarian response capabilities. This is not a trade show or a technology fair, with vendor booths, demos, and product literature. Nor is it an Exercise in the usual sense, with teams of first responders and a highly-scripted scenario. Instead, SA-III will focus on simulating those aspects of post-disaster conditions that specifically impact communication, information sharing, and coordination. The week-long demonstration will consist of a series of collaborative technical and non-technical experiments based on both lessons learned in past disasters and on emerging requirements for integrated operations. They are designed to test the interoperability, reliability, and flexibility of proposed social and technical solutions. Strong Angel III is a chance for vendors, humanitarian practitioners, First Responders, the military, and community leaders to explore capabilities, inter-operability, usability, and deployment with the specific intent that the solutions proposed be accessible globally. Strong Angel will provide an adverse environment designed to maximize learning, sharing and experimentation.