L.R. Kimball

Experts to Provide Primer on NG9-1-1 Security at California NENA

L.R. Kimball Cyber Security expert, Jeremy Smith, is slated to speak at the California NENA (CALNENA) Convention in San Diego, CA next week.  During this talk, Smith, who is also the co-chair of the NENA committee that developed the standards, will be providing a NG9-1-1 Security (NG-SEC) primer to attendees. With the recent release of NENA’s NG-SEC standard, the subject of Cyber Security has been an important topic amongst public safety industry participants who seek to understand how to become secure during and after the transition to NG9-1-1.  NG-SEC provides a comprehensive set of cyber security standards that public safety industry participants can use to help increase the security of their agency (e.g. PSAP or dispatch center) or products (if they are vendors building software solutions).

L.R. Kimball is the leader in providing Cyber Security solutions for the public safety industry and offers a robust portfolio of services designed to help agencies achieved NG-SEC compliance.  Click here for more info. 

The National Broadband Plan: Public Safety Named a “High and National Priority” on FCC’s List

FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski previewed the National Broadband Plan and the changes it’s expected to entail last week when it’s released to Congress next month. The FCC’s intent is to free up a total of 500 MHz in wireless broadband spectrum over the next ten years through a variety of new initiatives. A big component of the Plan includes a provision to hold an auction in which television broadcasters and other licensees could voluntarily turn over spectrum in exchange for a share of the auction proceeds.

Genachowski previewed that public safety is expected to be a major beneficiary of the Plan and that the Commission plans on pursuing public private partnerships that may include a “commercial licensee” to create a national wireless communications network for first responders. He also mentioned that the FCC would establish a public safety interoperability center.

Sneak Peek: Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer Training Facility

A multifaceted architecture, engineering and contracting team composed of The OAK Group, Inc. of Camden, N.J.; L.R. Kimball of Ebensburg, Pa.; and Henderson, Inc. of Williamsburg, Va. has been selected by the U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. Department of Defense to design and build a $22.8 million U.S. Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer Training Facility in Elizabeth City, N.C.  

Below are some preliminary conceptual rendering of the new facility:

 

 
 

Click here for more information about the project

Wildlife Hazard Assessment (WHA) and Wildlife Hazard Management Plan (WHMP) Webinar

Across the country, airports are facing challenges forced upon them by wildlife such as deer and eagles.  Last January the issue was thrust into the national spotlight when a plane landed in the Hudson River and airport managers are finding an increasingly large number of animals crossing onto their airport runways. 

Throughout the year, L.R. Kimball will be sharing our expertise in wildlife management with webinars and whitepapers.  This week, we will be kicking off this series with a webinar about wildlife hazard issues.  We will address how wildlife strikes affect airports, what you can do if you have a strike, and the components of assessments and management plans. 

In this week's session, participants will learn about:

• Regulations surrounding wildlife strikes and trigger events
• Why Wildlife Hazard Assessments (WHA) are important
• Overview of the WHA process and final reports
• Components of a Wildlife Hazard Management Plan (WHMP)

Tune in for 30 - 45 minutes of information that you can use in your organization. Best of it, it's free and all you need is a computer to attend!

When: Wednesday, February 17 at 11:00 AM EST
Where: From the comfort of your own office 

REGISTER NOW 

NENA TDC/ODC holds a session on new NG-SEC Cyber Security Standard for Public Safety

The National Emergency Number Association (NENA) held an hour and half educational session yesterday educating TDC/ODC attendees on the recently released cyber security standards for 9-1-1. These standards, known as Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG9-1-1) Security, or NG-SEC, provide the public safety industry industry’s first comprehensive cyber security standards for organizations seeking to increase their security during and after the transition to NG9-1-1.

The head of L.R. Kimball’s Cyber Security consulting team and the co-chair of the NENA working group that developed the standards, Jeremy L. Smith (CISSP), led the session which provided a detailed introduction to the new standards. In particular Jeremy addressed several important questions like:

•  Why is Cyber Security needed in an NG9-1-1 environment?
• Why do we need a Cyber Security standard?
• What do I do if I am a PSAP? A vendor? A content provider?

L.R. Kimball Experts in the News

The OAK Group, Inc., L. Robert Kimball & Associates, and Henderson, Inc. Selected to Help Design and Build U.S. Coast Guard Rescue Training Facility  
PR Newswire
Established in 1953, L. Robert Kimball & Associates is among the nation's leading professional service companies offering its clients architectural and ...

The Top 100 People | Pennsylvania Business Central
By PBC Staff
R. Jeffrey Kimball, President & CEO, L. Robert Kimball & Associates was named among the Top 100 People of 2009…

More articles after the link...

Deadline for Oil Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasure (SPCC) Amendment Recently Passed

The EPA recently amended the SPCC rules which became effective mid-January. Will you be impacted by the amendment? Consider the following questions:

• Do all of your SPCC-regulated above-ground storage tanks have secondary containment?
• Do you have a written response plan posted next to liquid loading and unloading areas describing how you can contain a spill if one develops during liquid transfer?

If you answered "no" to either of those questions, we urge you to update your SPCC plan immediately.  For assistance updating your plan to meet the new amendments, contact L.R. Kimball.

July 10 Pennsylvania H2O Grant Deadline

The Commonwealth Financing Authority will offer grants totaling $400 million for water distribution and treatment, wastewater collection, conveyance and treatment/stormwater management systems and high-hazard unsafe dams projects again. To date, more than $400 million in grants have been dispersed from this program in September of 2009 and another $400 million will be dispersed in September 2010. All 2010 grant applications are due on July 1, 2010.  The L.R. Kimball team can help you take advantage of this funding to move your water quality goals forward. Contact us to schedule a pre-application meeting for your grant submission.

Historic Day for 9-1-1: First Cyber Security Standards (NG-SEC) Released

The National Emergency Number Association (NENA) officially released the long-awaited Next-Generation 9-1-1 Security (NG-SEC) standards. These standards provide the public safety industry’s first comprehensive and robust framework for securing entities participating in Next-Generation 9-1-1 (NG9-1-1).

The need for cyber security standards has never been greater as the public safety industry moves towards an interconnected, IP-enabled, future of NG9-1-1. In the legacy 9-1-1 environment, PSAPs were, for the most part, not connected together. These stand alone networks provided some degree of security for would-be hackers and the like. However, with the advent of NG9-1-1, the need to interconnect networks of varying security postures becomes a requirement.

However, to date, no single or comprehensive set of cyber security standards existed in the public safety space. NENA, having recognized the value of cyber security as the industry transitions to NG9-1-1, created a working group to create cyber security standards for the public safety industry.  The NG-SEC standard is the result of a multi-year effort by the Security for Next-Generation 9-1-1 Working Group. This team included a wide variety of industry participants including technical, operational, PSAP, vendors, telecommunication companies and more.

 L.R. Kimball, the leader in cyber security for the public safety industry, applauds NENA’s efforts and recommends that folks currently planning (or about to start) for NG9-1-1 take a look at this new standard and determine how it can be added to your plans. It is critical that cyber security be built into the DNA of your NG9-1-1 efforts and not bolted on at the end. 

Jeremy L. Smith, CISSP

Sr. Cyber Security Consultant

New EPA-ordered environmental evaluations and their impact in Pennsylvania

 Last week, L.R. Kimball was proud to sponsor the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce’s “A Conversation with the Governor” event. Among other issues, Pennsylvania Gov. Edward Rendell has consistently reinforced energy efficiency, an issue of great importance to Philadelphia, which is working hard to meet Mayor Michael Nutter’s goal to become the greenest city in America.

This issue is particularly timely as a new rule established by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is requiring a wide range of companies to begin measuring and reporting their environmental impact starting this year. In anticipation of future policies that may be initiated, Pennsylvania companies may need to prove that they are shrinking their environmental footprints if they want to do business with the federal government or international corporations. 

Facilities in Pennsylvania should look to performing energy audits as a crucial first step toward environmental improvement. For a list of strategies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and reduction of environmental footprints, read our latest news release.