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Science and Technology Collection

The DHS Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) is the Department’s primary research and development arm and manages science and technology research, from development through transition, for the Department's operational components and first responders.

  • First Responder Resource Group Big City Fire Working Group Fact Sheet

    The Big City Fire Working Group (BCF) brings together representatives from 12 of the largest fire departments in the United States, as measured by number of stations and operational personnel. BCF members are senior leaders who understand the highest priorities of their departments and collaborate to identify and discuss the needs and challenges of fighting fire in dense urban settings. The S&T's NUSTL convenes and manages the BCF in support of the Directorate’s first responder portfolio and is responsible for setting strategy, executing process and identifying potential research, development, test and evaluation opportunities associated with the group.

  • Bellbird Aerial Communications Platform Fact Sheet

    The Bellbird is an aerial drone capable of two-way communication and projecting highly intelligible voice commands to enhance the capability of law enforcement crowd management operations, reducing the likelihood of unintended impacts or injury to officers and citizens.

  • Low-Head Dam Alerting for Rescuer Safety Fact Sheet

    DHS S&T will provide a readily accessible toolset to help First Responders identify low-head dam (LHD) hazards and promulgate potential alerting and life-saving information. This effort will deliver freely accessible, user-friendly toolboxes to help investigate public safety at low-head dams, enable modelers to consider site-specific conditions and alerts of potential hazards, and deliver an updated version of the national LHD inventory, estimated at over 13,500 sites.

  • Partnership Intermediary Fact Sheet

    A partnership intermediary (PI) is a state or local government, or a non-profit entity owned/funded/ chartered/operated in whole or in part by a state or local government that assists, counsels, advises, evaluates or otherwise cooperates with small business firms and educational institutions.

  • Plum Island Animal Disease Center Accomplishments Timeline, 1954 - 2024

    The PIADC Accomplishment Timeline highlights key laboratory achievements and features important contributions to food and agriculture security made over 70 years by PIADC scientists working for the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Homeland Security.

  • Alternative Energy for Boats Fact Sheet

    DHS S&T Alternative Energy for Boats project will develop a prototype that has an electric battery powering two electric outboard engines. The battery will be capable of charging from alternating current (A/C) power, eliminating the need to build charging infrastructure and enabling boats to charge anywhere there is standard electric power available.

  • Emergency Management of Tomorrow Research (EMOTR): Landscape Assessment

    As part of the Emergency Management of Tomorrow Research (EMOTR) effort, sponsored by the DHS Science and Technology Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory conducted an emergency management (EM) research and development landscape assessment to identify existing research and relevant enabling technologies in various EM-related themes and stages of maturity. The literature review included publicly available research papers and open-source material from identified U.S. academic institutions, national laboratories, and other research centers. This is a summary report of peer-reviewed research in emergency management from 2018-2023. For more information, please reach out to first.responder@hq.dhs.gov.

  • Master Question List for Salmonella Enterica Serovars Typhi and Typhimurium

    The following Master Question List was developed by DHS S&T to provide government decision makers with up-to-date information that will enable them to appropriately respond to outbreaks of Salmonella.

  • Guidance for Using Standards When Selecting and Purchasing Responder Equipment

    This document provides guidance related to the use of standards when selecting and purchasing protective and operational equipment for public safety organizations, including law enforcement agencies, fire departments, and emergency medical service agencies. SAVER publications oftentimes contain a list and description of standards relevant to an equipment type. This document informs readers on what standards are, why they are important, how to verify standards are met, and how to include requirements for use of standards in procurement efforts. 

  • CIVIC Innovation Challenge 2024

    The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) continues its partnership with the National Science Foundation (NSF) and U.S. Department of Energy on the Civic Innovation Challenge (CIVIC), a nation-wide research and action competition aiming to fund ready-to-implement, research-based pilot projects with potential for scalable, sustainable, and transferable impact on community-identified priorities. The 2024 cycle focuses on “Climate and Environmental Instability” and “Resource and Service Equity”.