Preparedness through Innovation

Early Alerts and Warnings

Advances in sensors and data processing capabilities have made early warning systems more useful in emergency management, providing more reliable analysis of emerging incidents and reducing the number of false alarms. S&T is investing in technologies such as AI and digital analytics that can rapidly process complex datasets to alert officials and civilians at the outset of an emergency.

FloodAdapt enables users to see how floods could impact their community and model how various demographic factors may affect recovery. Photo credit: Deltares USA.

FloodAdapt – suite of flood-hazard modeling and impact assessment technologies that can help inform field operations and emergency response before and after flood events make landfall.
Internet of Things Low-Cost Flood Inundation Sensors – rapidly measure rising water levels and report flood conditions, providing early warning to communities that could greatly reduce potential casualties and damage.
Next Generation Flood and Wildfire Alerting Technology – provides life-saving critical emergency alerts to people in affected areas on their mobile devices and vehicle infotainment systems so they can take appropriate action.
Wildland Fire Sensors – advanced sensors that can locate and help firefighters suppress an ignition before it spreads, as well as grant time needed for communities to make evacuation decisions.
Wildland Urban Interface Emergency Alerting – technology that integrates unattended flood and wildfire sensors with IPAWS Open Platform for Emergency Networks to provide critical emergency alerts in affected areas on mobile devices and vehicle infotainment systems.

Information Sharing

Having the right information is critical when coordinating an emergency response. S&T is developing new systems that both aggregate and analyze data across platforms and jurisdictions to help emergency managers and responders on the scene make time-sensitive, informed decisions.

S&T’s Maritime Safety and Security Division Director Matt Barger (second from right) joins U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) colleagues at a March 2023 site visit to South Padre Island, TX. Photo credit: S&T.

Community Lifeline Status System (CLSS) – reporting construct that will provide the emergency management community with a comprehensive systematic approach to lifeline status planning, monitoring, and reporting across areas impacted by a disaster.
Emergency Management of Tomorrow (EMOTR) – dedicated research agenda that supports emergency managers with effective information sharing technologies and a single resource for breakthrough research.
Fentanyl Reference Spectra – provides vendors of field-portable detection equipment with expanded library of restricted chemicals to help improve instrument capabilities in detecting dangerous substances such as fentanyl.
Maritime Safety and Security Roadmap – 10-year capability roadmap outlining current and future demands across DHS to help inform future initiatives and budget requests.
Search and Rescue Common Operating Platform (SARCOP) – interagency dashboard that aggregates multiple mobile and web-based applications and analytics systems to map out where search and rescue operations have occurred.

Public Event Security

Preparing for the worst is often the best way to prevent disasters, particularly man-made ones. S&T is developing tools and resources for emergency managers and first responders that can help them prepare for large public events to protect life and property from ever-evolving threats.

The Bellbird Aerial Communications Platform hovers over a series of bucket targets during a July 2024 operational field assessment (OFA) in Mississippi. Photo credit: S&T.

Bellbird Aerial Communications Platform – unmanned aerial system equipped with a powerful speaker and microphone that allows for clearer two-way communications with large groups of people at the same time.
Deployable Expedient Traffic Entry Regulator (DETER) – versatile vehicle barrier that provides fast protection in multiple scenarios.
Predictive modeling tool – developed by the Chemical Security and Analysis Center, used to help secure both indoor and outdoor events during the week leading up to Super Bowl LVII.
Ready Armor Protection for Instant Deployment (RAPID) – quickly deployable barrier for critical asset protection and urban operations that can be set up with just a few people.

Responder Safety

The people serving on the front lines of homeland security and public safety put their lives on the line for their communities. S&T is committed to developing new solutions that keep them safe on the job, whether through improved personal protective equipment or unit management technologies.

C-THRU Real-Time Indoor Visualization System –helmet-mounted indoor visualization system that helps firefighters navigate in low visibility settings and shares critical information with command.

Firefighters don their gear at the C-THRU Navigator operational field assessment. Photo credit: S&T.

MappedIn – 3D map creation and sharing tool that allows city executives, building owner operators, and first responders to transform indoor floorplans into interactive digitized maps.
Non-detonable training aids for explosives detection canines – market survey report that provides information on 12 non-detonable training aid products that allow detection canines and their handlers to train safely for real-world scenarios.
Wearable chemical sensor badge – portable chemical sensor that detects toxic industrial chemicals first responders are often exposed to when they arrive on the scene of an emergency.
Wildland Firefighter Respirator – small, lightweight, easy to don and doff breathing apparatus that will remove airborne hazards from the air without weighing down the wearer.

Keeping pace with rapid technology changes and anticipating their impact on the future is a full-time job, and it’s a role S&T is proud to serve in support of the people working on the front lines to protect the nation. When questions arise about what new emergency management tools are available or what standards are essential for responder equipment, trust S&T to provide objective, relevant guidance.

Stay up to date on the latest innovations and breakthroughs—bookmark the Community and Infrastructure Resilience and First Responder Capability webpages for more updates on public safety resources, and subscribe to the Technologically Speaking podcast.