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DHS Expands Virtual USA, First Responder Online Communities (2/2/10)
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) announced enhancements in first responder information-sharing initiatives.
S&T Command, Control and Interoperability Division Director Dr. David Boyd announced the next phases of Virtual USA, an information-sharing initiative that helps federal, state, local and tribal first responders communicate during emergencies. Five states in the Pacific Northwest — Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington — will form the second Virtual USA regional information sharing pilot, while the six states currently participating in the existing Southeast Regional Operations Platform Pilot (SE ROPP) — Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas and Virginia — will be joined by Georgia and Tennessee and enter into the second, operational phase.
“Virtual USA improves information sharing across jurisdictions and helps ensure collaboration among emergency management practitioners at all levels,” Boyd said. “The next phase will allow us to build on lessons learned and operationalize a real-time state-to-state information-sharing capability — with the end goal of improving emergency response at the national level.”
S&T’s First Responder Technology Program also Tuesday conducted a technical demonstration of the first responder communities of practice, an information-sharing tool designed to help first responders collaborate on best practices in support of their respective homeland-security missions, unveiled as part of a newly redesigned firstresponder.gov.
Communities of Practice allows its members, including active and retired first responders, emergency response professionals, and federal, tribal, state and local homeland-security officials, to engage locally and nationally on critical homeland-security programs, projects and initiatives in a protected environment. Members build and participate in communities that aggregate activity around a particular topic or mission, such as firefighters, emergency medical technicians and bomb squads, to share best practices and learn from others in their field. Each community is equipped with a discussion board, wiki, documents folder, calendar, blog, RSS feeds and bookmarks.
In addition, the newly redesigned firstresponder.gov will have other new features to facilitate first responder engagement with DHS, including a forum to submit ideas to improve the site, an interactive map that highlights DHS-funded S&T initiatives by state and a first responder blog.
To request a communities of practice account, visit https://communities.firstresponder.gov.
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