Defense bill would create tech center for 'first responders'

A House-passed bill to reauthorize Defense Department programs contains various technology provisions, including a proposal to create a center for the transfer of military technology to emergency "first responders."

Pennsylvania Republican Curt Weldon, chairman of the House Armed Services Military Readiness Subcommittee, made the proposal. The House passed the authorization bill, H.R. 4546, by a 359-58 vote on May 9.

"What the federal government has done, it has created cutting-edge technology for the military that is important for handling all types of emergencies," Weldon said in an interview with National Journal's Technology Daily. The government has spent billions of dollars for military technology, but it is not available to domestic responders, he said.

For instance, soldiers in Afghanistan have Global Positioning System (GPS) transponders, but domestic first responders do not. If they had the GPS units, he said, emergency responders would know the exact locations of firefighters or others within a building, information that could lead to their rescue.

The military also has sensors to monitor heart rates and bodily systems from a distance to determine the health of soldiers, another technology that could be applied locally, Weldon said. "There are scores of examples."

Eighty-five percent of "domestic defenders," as Weldon calls them, are volunteers. About 100 per year die in action, more than the number of soldiers lost each year, he said.

The provision in the Defense authorization bill specifies that the center would be run by a nonprofit entity that has shown the ability to transfer defense technologies, he said, noting that he has been working with Battelle Memorial Institute in Columbus, Ohio. The center "would allow the fire and [emergency medical services] community to understand what is being developed and how to take advantage of it," Weldon said.

Weldon said Pete Aldridge, undersecretary of Defense for acquisition, technology and logistics, supports the idea. The authorization bill does not specify a dollar amount for the center, but Weldon said it is "not a big ticket item," probably in the millions.

Weldon has taken the lead on other security-related bills. Four years ago, for instance, he authored the law that created an anti-terrorism panel often referred to as the Gilmore Commission because former Virginia Gov. James Gilmore heads it.

Two years ago, a Weldon proposal established a grant program for first responders to purchase technology. Congress appropriated $100 million in the first year, but first responders submitted $3 billion in requests for aid. This year, funding was increased to $500 million. In fiscal 2003, President Bush has requested $3.5 billion.

Weldon also is focused on communication problems among first responders. Different agencies and emergency services are unable to communicate because their systems use different frequencies. Weldon said the concern could be addressed through an integrated network.