For Immediate Release
DHS Science & Technology Press Office
Contact: John Verrico, (202) 254-2385
WASHINGTON –The deadline for submitting first responder technologies for assessment in the Next Generation First Responder (NGFR) – Birmingham Shaken Fury Operational Experimentation (OpEx) has been extended to March 8. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) announced the extension today to encourage participation in the OpEx scheduled for the week of August 18, 2019, in Birmingham, Alabama.
The call for submissions was first announced in this Request for Information (RFI).
The OpEx seeks integrate technologies to enhance the mission-response capabilities of Birmingham-area first responders and regional partners prior to the city hosting the anticipated World Games 2021. To expand regional impact on community resilience, the OpEx is aligned to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Shaken Fury 2019 exercise in June 2019.
The RFI, posted on FedBizOpps, is open to industry, academia, Federally Funded Research and Development Centers, government agencies, and other organizations with innovative first responder technology solutions ready for testing and evaluation. DHS S&T is specifically seeking technologies that provide on-body, incident area, agency-wide or cross-jurisdictional capabilities that make responders better protected, connected and fully aware.
Applicants should focus on the nine key capability gaps identified in the RFI, including sensors, responder and resource tracking systems, and situational awareness platforms. Solutions must be at Technology Readiness Level 7 or above. The government does not intend to make a contract award based on this RFI, but will seek to enter a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement with each manufacturer, vendor or non-public entity selected to participate in the OpEx.
The OpEx builds directly upon the success of the December 2018 NGFR – Harris County OpEx, which tested responder and patient physiological monitoring sensors, indoor location tracking, HAZMAT sensors, smart alerting for responders and incident command, advanced data analytics, and situational awareness and collaboration dashboards.
This OpEx will be one of four major activities DHS S&T is sponsoring aligned to the FEMA Shaken Fury 2019 exercise in June. This overall exercise will simulate the response and recovery to a 7.7 magnitude earthquake scenario near Memphis, Tennessee. The goal of DHS S&T’s involvement is to improve the region’s collective capacity to respond and recover from significant events.
For more information on this RFI or the DHS S&T Next Generation First Responder Apex program, visit https://www.dhs.gov/NGFR or contact NGFR@hq.dhs.gov.
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