Blackouts, Water Problems put Vulnerable Populations at Risk

Posted Jun 24, 2016

(TNS) - No one likes to lose power or to have to boil tap water. But for some residents, these infrastructure issues can pose major health risks with summer thunderstorms a real possibility.

Power outages

• National Grid customers who are older than age 62, blind or disabled, or whose health depends on machines run by electricity can sign up for warning robocalls if a major storm likely could cause a blackout in their area, said spokeswoman Virginia Limmiatis.

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How Terrorists' Use of Social Media Points to the Future

Posted Jun 21, 2016

Terrorist spread fear via social media. We’ve seen this before. Or have we?

This past week of sorrow was flooded by new reports that the Orlando killer was inspired by online extremism. Chilling new information was also revealed about Omar Mateen’s posts on Facebook before the attack.

According to CBS News, the killer posted social media messages that his attacks were in support of ISIS. He promised more “attacks from the Islamic State [ISIS] in the USA.”

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Florida Emergency Management Director Bryan Koon Reflects on His Tenure

Posted Jun 21, 2016

(TNS) - Florida was left largely unscathed from its first taste of this year's hurricane season as Tropical Storm Colin cut through the northern half of the state last week, and that's a sigh of relief for Emergency Management Director Bryan Koon.

Koon was appointed in February 2011 by Gov. Rick Scott to lead the Florida Division of Emergency Management, and his tenure over the state's first line of recovery after a storm has remained free of hurricanes.

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Reporting Terror Suspicions May Not be a Simple Call

Posted Jun 21, 2016

(TNS) - If you see something, say something.

It is a dictum for terrorizing times, and as the carnage mounts, law enforcement is more urgently pressing the public to turn tipster.

But what, exactly, does something mean?

That depends.

"If I have a friend who all of a sudden starts going to the masjid [mosque] five times a day, is that a sign of radicalization - or of admirable devotion?" said Quasier Abdullah, assistant imam at Quba Institute, a school and mosque in West Philadelphia.

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Domestic Terror Enemy No. 1: Lone Wolves Like Orlando Mass Murderer

Posted Jun 16, 2016

(TNS) - In the aftermath of 9/11, the nation’s top domestic security priority focused on stopping foreign sleeper cells planted by al-Qaida or other radical groups.

Now, Omar Mateen defines what anti-terrorism experts say is the most serious and increasing threat for the United States — the “lone wolf.”

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NYC Subway Study Will Test Impact of a Chemical Attack

Posted Jun 16, 2016

(TNS) — The Department of Homeland Security is testing airflow inside the city’s subway system this week as a way to predict what would happen in a possible chemical attack.

The week-long study poses no risk to the public, the Department of Homeland Security said.

From May 9 through May 13, DHS said officials will be releasing harmless, non-toxic gases inside several subway stations in Manhattan, including Penn Station, Grand Central Terminal and at Times Square.

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Emergency Drill Will Involve Gunshots With Blank Rounds

Posted Jun 13, 2016

(TNS) - Don’t be alarmed if you hear gunshots coming from inside the Henry County Courthouse Thursday evening.

It’s only a drill.

Henry County, Iowa Emergency Management director Walt Jackson and the Henry County Sheriff’s Department will host the drill at 4 p.m. Thursday, using blank rounds in real guns to simulate the sounds of a shooting incident.

“We want to give employees here more tools in their tool bags if something like this happened,” Jackson said.

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EMS Advisory Group Presented with Ways to get Medicaid Dollars

Posted Jun 9, 2016

(TNS) - A new source of reimbursement for ambulance providers in the state could provide Skagit County providers with millions of dollars, but would require restructuring the county’s current ambulance system.

Ground Emergency Medical Transport legislation, which was recently signed into law, provides certain ambulance providers with a partial reimbursement for care given to Medicaid patients, according to Scott Clough of AP Triton, a consultant who worked on the legislation.

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State's New Rail Director Will Tackle Oil-Train Safety, Other Issues

Posted Jun 7, 2016

(TNS) - The map above Alene Tchourumoff’s desk shows lines that appear, at first, to denote rivers -- they sprawl and branch off, weaving and curving across the state.

Instead, they depict a vast network of railroad tracks.

In her new role as Minnesota’s rail director, Tchourumoff will refer back to the map often as she leads Gov. Mark Dayton’s efforts to improve rail safety, train first responders and track the movements of the rail cars that transport Bakken crude oil and other hazardous freight.

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