A brutal U.S. fire season has helped build support in Congress to classify catastrophic wildfires as natural disasters like hurricanes or earthquakes, opening new sources of funding to pay for putting them out.

Idaho Rep. Mike Simpson said his bill is now co-sponsored by nearly 150 House members and has the support of more than 300 outside organizations, including cities, outdoors and conservation groups.

Researchers from the University of Southampton have been investigating how images created by the Google Street View cars can be used to compare with photos taken after earthquakes and other major events such as tsunamis to not only establish the extent of the damage but also help improve resistance against future disasters.

Deforestation may have triggered the recent Ebola outbreak in west Africa, France’s environment minister Ségolène Royal told a London summit hosted by the Prince of Wales ahead of

Washington, DC - Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson today announced the appointment of 28 new members to the Homeland Security Science and Technology Advisory Committee (HSSTAC). The HSSTACprovides scientific and technical advice to the Secretary and senior department leadership on matters related to the expansion of technological capabilities across the homeland security enterprise.

Continuity of healthcare and public health services are critical to response and recovery following a disaster or emergency.

At the recent City Council meeting, five City of Manassas Fire & Rescue employees were promoted in rank.  Andrew Carver, Joseph Rose and Jerry Smith were promoted to Captain, Matthew Fox was promoted to Lieutenant, and Jamieson Jewett was promoted to Master Technician.

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LEESBURG, Va. – Air traffic controllers would one day guide planes to take off and land by watching them on remote video from airports that don't have their own control towers if an experiment at an airport in suburban Virginia works out.

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The National Weather Service has issued a Flood Advisory for parts of Northern Virginia. The Advisory is in effect through Thursday at 1 a.m.

MCT) - When the Sleepy Hollow Fire hit an industrial area in Wenatchee in June, the state Department of Ecology’s spill response team came armed with a new tool: their cellphones.

Equipped with a new smartphone app, their cellphones give immediate access to the latest data showing exactly what chemicals and how much of each are being stored at facilities across the state.

Still in its pilot phase, the free app is now available to fire departments and other emergency responders, said Ecology spokesman Andrew Wineke.

Training addresses mental health, a national topic after recent mass shootings.

Jen Corbin faces 30 Anne Arundel County police officers — young and old, men and women.

"Has anybody ever had a panic attack?" she asks.

Corbin, the director of the county's Crisis Response System, is leading a Mental Health First Aid class at the police department's Davidsonville academy. As part of their in-service training this year, all county police officers must complete the eight-hour course.