97.108: Homeland Security, Research, Testing, Evaluation, and Demonstration of Technologies

97.108

Inactive

Science and Technology (S&T) [USDA - APHIS]

Sept. 23, 2022

Sept. 23, 2022

To provide funding and/or property for the purpose of conducting research, development, testing, evaluation, and demonstration of national preparedness and homeland security technologies intended to identify, counter, or respond to terrorist threats. The DHS S&T First Responders Group (FRG) utilizes grants and cooperative agreements to enhance safety in the first responder community by supporting the research, acquisition of knowledge, and the development of technology, materials, processes, methods, devices, or techniques to support advancement in equipment or technologies. The purpose of these grants and cooperative agreements is to garner high quality, advanced concepts research and development efforts related to important scientific problems and capability gaps identified by the first responder community that could lead to significant public benefits. DHS S&T-FRG-IAS and FEMA-ICPD are seeking to address trauma training for the high school-age communities under this NOFO. School-Age Trauma Training (SATT - final name of training to be proposed by grantee and approved by FEMA) is intended to establish a long-term, self-sustaining mechanism (e.g. no further Federal funding beyond Phase III), to deliver free to the public, lifesaving trauma training to high school age students for mass casualty events. The government expects the grantee to design, develop and implement a training capability based upon the Phase tasks and to sustain the offerings beyond the Phase III funding resource provided by the government. Uncontrolled bleeding is the number one cause of preventable death from trauma. This initiative is designed to enhance a bystander’s ability to take decisive, lifesaving action to assist victims with traumatic injuries. The training is intended to provide the knowledge necessary to stabilize the injured and until first responders arrive on the scene. The effort is aimed at a broad youth-based approach through public/private schools, not-for-profit organizations, faith-based and other civic communities of interest. This high school centric training initiative is designed to enhance a bystander’s ability to take decisive, lifesaving action to assist victims with traumatic injuries. The training is intended to provide the knowledge necessary to stabilize the injured and control severe bleeding until first responders arrive on the scene. The training provides research-validated guidance to stop uncontrolled bleeding from traumatic injuries using materials readily found at an incident or worn by the victim and citizen responders. The primary target audience is high school age students. The design, development, delivery and operational maintenance of the SATT initiative is intended to be a self-sustaining, not-for-profit-based, public/private partnership to advance life saving techniques into high schools and other age appropriate youth-based communities of interest. Wildland firefighters are exposed to a variation of respiratory hazards to include carbon monoxide (CO), acrolein, polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), aldehydes and ketones, and a wide variety of wood pyrolysis and combustion products. The traditional self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) used by structural firefighters is too heavy and not designed for use for extremely long periods. Most often, wildland firefighters limit their respiratory protection to a wet bandana or nothing at all. S&T has embarked upon the development of a respirator device specifically for use by the wildland firefighter. The Wildland Respiratory Protective Device (WRPD) will be easy to wear and provide the wildland firefighter protection against particulates and chemical vapor hazards defined in NFPA 1984: Standard on Respirators for Wildland Fire Fighting Operations, 2016 Edition. The First Responder Resource Group (FRRG) identified a capability gap for hand protection in helicopter hoist rescue operations. The normal rescue gloves (typically Fire Department or Rope Rescue based solutions) used by helicopter rescue crews to guide the rescue hoist cable are quickly worn and need to be replaced often. There is a requirement for hand protection with increased durability, comfort and longevity that can be utilized by rescue helicopter personnel. A rescue helicopter hoist operator uses one hand to guide the hoist cable during rescue descents and ascents. A significant amount of force perpendicular to the moving cable is sometimes required to mitigate swing and cable oscillation. The friction created by this operation rapidly wears out the material covering the web, palm, and inside fingers of the guide hand. A glove with a very strong abrasion protection surface to guide the hoist cable is required. However, the glove must have enough flexibility for the rescue helicopter personnel to perform other required duties and the solution cannot negatively impact the responder’s range of motion. In addition, as the glove wears out from use, it cannot shed material onto the cables being used in the rescue efforts. Any glove material that produces bits and pieces while it wears is undesirable because it works its way between the strands of the hoist cable and shortens the life of the cable dramatically.

B - Cooperative Agreements

States, local governments, private, public, profit or nonprofit organizations, Indian Tribal governments, or individuals specified by U.S. Appropriation Statute, including U. S. and international institutions of higher education and educational laboratories.

Federal, State, and local governments, private, public, profit or nonprofit organizations, Indian tribal governments, and individuals.

https://sam.gov/fal/d2e2950bf7e44fed9703b93fa01a1bbf/view