Newswise — Houston, TX – The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) is presenting a demonstration of integrating emergency response technologies during a simulated HAZMAT scenario at the Port of Houston on December 5, 2018. The Next Generation First Responder (NGFR) – Harris County Operational Experimentation (OpEx) will involve a coordinated response by Houston public safety agencies, FEMA, the U.S. Coast Guard and industry partners.

Over the past year, DHS S&T partnered with Houston-area public safety agencies, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and the DHS Office of Emergency Communications to identify technical capabilities that could assist first responders at the scene of an emergency. Situational awareness, responder physiological and patient monitoring, personnel location tracking, and enhanced communications were identified as priority concerns. The OpEx will evaluate how DHS-developed commercial and existing first responder technologies integrate during an emergency to fill these gaps while using open standards.

WHO:                Sponsor
                        DHS S&T Next Generation First Responder Program

                         Host
                        
Public Safety Agency Partners

                         Public Safety Agency Partners
                        
United States Coast Guard
                         Federal Emergency Management Agency
                         DHS Emergency Communications Division
                         Harris County Fire Marshal’s Office
                         Harris County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management
                         Harris County Sheriff’s Office
                         Harris County Central Technology Services
                         Harris County Community Emergency Response Team
                         Houston Fire Department
                         Houston Police Department
                         Houston Information Technology Services-
                         Cy-Fair Volunteer Fire Department
                         Atascocita Fire Department
                         SouthEast Texas Regional Advisory Council

                         Technology Partners
                       
  ARES Security Corporation
                         AT&T Corporation
                         Centrex Solutions LLC
                         FEMA Integration Public Alert and Warning System Office
                         Haystax, a Fishtech Group Company
                         Integrated Solutions for Systems, Inc. (IS4S)
                         Intrepid Networks, LLC. 
                         Keys Net LLC.
                         Luna Innovations, Inc. 
                         Metronome Software, LLC
                         MobileIron Inc. 
                         National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Jet Propulsion Laboratory 
                         N5 Sensors, Inc.
                         Pacific Northwest National Laboratory 
                         SensorUp, Inc. 
                         Sonim Technologies, Inc. 
                         TRX Systems, Inc. 
                         Utility Associates Inc.

WHAT:              Media availability and demonstration of the NGFR – Harris County OpEx

WHEN:             1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. CST, Wednesday, December 5, 2018

WHERE:           1:00 p.m. – Remarks
                        Port Coordination Center (follow signs for Police Station)
                        Port of Houston, 111 East Loop North, Houston, TX 77029
                       1:45 p.m. – Technology Demonstration
                       Sam Houston Tour Boat Pavilion, 7300 Clinton Drive, Houston, TX 77020

To attend the press availability and demonstration, credentialed media must RSVP to [email protected] by Tuesday, December 4, 2018 to register and receive a media packet and additional information about photographs and recording at the Port of Houston. Media must register on-site.  

###