The Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate (DHS S&T) has announced a funding opportunity for research related to Commercial Mobile Alert Service (CMAS), as referenced in the 2012 DHS S&T Long Range Broad Agency Announcement (LRBAA).

CMAS enables geographically targeted alert messages to reach people on their mobile devices, enhancing the nation’s capability to deliver emergency messages to the public. To support this mission, S&T is looking for academic institutions, private sector organizations, government laboratories, and other entities to perform RDT&E activities that improve CMAS geo-targeting capabilities and enhance understanding of public response to CMAS messages. These research and development initiatives will improve the functionality of CMAS both in reaching geographically targeted recipients with CMAS alerts and by enabling CMAS alert recipients to act in a way that increases individual and collective safety and security. (more…)

Nevada’s Homeland Security Commission today adopted a drastically reduced plan to continue the fight against potential terrorist attacks, leaving six ongoing programs without funding because of declining federal support.

Led by Commission Chairman and Gov. Brian Sandoval, the panel of law enforcement and other emergency services providers unanimously adopted a plan that will see $4.3 million in total federal funding this year, a 60 percent reduction in funding from 2011 when Nevada received $10.8 million.

Read more @ carsonnow.org

It’s been widely reported that 2011 set a record for the number of large disasters — there were 99 presidential disaster declarations and 250 gubernatorial emergencies (an increase from 81 and 180 in fiscal 2009, respectively). In addition, 258 events last year required a significant commitment of state resources — a 111 percent increase from fiscal ’09. But according to the National Emergency Management Association’s (NEMA) 2012 Biennial Report, states demonstrated an increased capacity to handle disasters on their own.

“There are hundreds upon hundreds of events that are handled at the local level and state government level every year that we never hear about,” said Trina Sheets, executive director of NEMA. “We found that to be quite remarkable given the current economic environment and the hits that state and local emergency management budgets have taken over the past three years consecutively in terms of budget reductions, hiring freezes and staff layoffs.”

She added that, “Their response to the disasters that have happened over that period of time has been really outstanding.”

Read more @ emergencymgmt.com

Over the past few years, DHS has been cutting funding for grants to state and emergency response agencies. The budget for fiscal year 2012 intended for state and local grants has been reduced to $2,374,681,000. This is a cut of $846,177,830 from the FY 2011 budget of $3,220,858,830. Similar levels of reductions have been imposed by state governments.

These cuts impose difficulties for states and municipalities that have come to rely on these grants for equipment acquisition, upgrade, and maintenance.

The Tennesseean reports on the impact in one such state, Tennessee.

DHS had granted $192 million to Tennessee for fighting terrorism, and the money was used for the acquisition of r remote-controlled bomb-handling robots; special equipment for collapsed building rescues; high-tech surveillance cameras; all sorts of boots, masks, and body armor; and food for police dogs. There was even a training seminar about how to apply for more money.

Read more @ homelandsecuritynewswire.com