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First Responders

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Where the Literal Hot Spots Are

Join the kick-off event as S&T and our partners at the U.S. Fire Administration and across Hawai’i announce a new round of beta testing for wildfire sensors. These devices can detect smoke and use artificial intelligence to distinguish between normal activities (such as barbeques) and smoldering fires, automatically alerting officials to give them more time to coordinate response or evacuation efforts.

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Emergency Management

This is the primary landing page for activities S&T is conducting to support emergency management. 

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First Responders Technologies Fact Sheet

First responders at federal, state, local, and tribal levels are crucial in managing a variety of emergencies, ranging from pandemics and natural disasters to civil disturbances, terror attacks, and routine criminal activities. They need a wide array of capabilities to effectively respond to these challenges, which are constantly evolving due to new threats and environmental changes.

Last Updated: | Press Releases

S&T Makes Innovative Fire Safety Technology available for Real World Testing

DHS S&T announced that interested fire departments across the country can now apply to test an innovative new fire safety tool: a helmet-mounted, indoor visualization and navigation device that allows first responders to see through dark smoke.

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FR Protective Gear

S&T plays a pivotal role at the forefront of research, development, testing and evaluation of advanced protective gear to safeguard first responders from potential threats and dangers.

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First Responder Capability

Our First Responder Capability Program provides technical assistance and develops innovative solutions to the most pressing challenges faced by responders.

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fr-redops

The Science and Technology Directorate’s (S&T) Response and Defeat Operations Support (REDOPS) program provides public safety bomb technicians with the tools, capabilities and guidance needed to best respond to Improvised Explosive Device (IED) threats.

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fr-public-safety-comms

The Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) is focused on building a more resilient and responsive public safety ecosystem.

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fr technologies

The Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) plays a vital role in empowering first responders with the tools and capabilities they need to best address a wide range of emergencies and disasters. 

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SCBAs Lessons Learned Report

The Science and Technology Directorate’s National Urban Security Technology Laboratory (NUSTL) partnered with the Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY) to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of open-circuit self-contained breathing apparatuses (SCBAs), a life-saving piece of personal protective equipment and a substantial financial investment for fire departments nationwide. Recent technological advancements in SCBAs promise to enhance safety, communication, situational awareness, and the overall mission effectiveness of fire response teams. NUSTL’s evaluation involved rigorous testing of SCBAs available in the current marketplace to analyze their capabilities, including new electronic safety features that facilitate information transmission between SCBAs and incident command.