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Hazardous Chemicals in Tunnels: “Blaulicht”-Article on CHEMATUN
How do hazardous chemicals such as gases spread in tunnels, and how can emergency responders meet these challenges? An article in the new issue of the fire service magazine “Blaulicht” addresses this question. While extensive experience exists for fires based on real-life incidents, experiments, and drills, a critical knowledge gap exists regarding the release of…
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Looking back at 2025: The DCNA Annual Report
For the DCNA, 2025 was once again a year of networking among a wide range of stakeholders – from science and emergency response organizations to administration, politics, and the business sector. We were able to further expand our communication formats – such as the DCNA podcast – and the DCNA Young Scientists program, and the…
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Welcome to the network: FOUR PAWS International
We are pleased to welcome another associated member to our network: FOUR PAWS International FOUR PAWS is the global animal welfare organisation for animals under direct human influence, which reveals suffering, rescues animals in need and protects them. Founded in 1988 in Vienna by Heli Dungler, the organisation advocates for a world where humans treat…
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New DCNA member: nast consulting
We are delighted to welcome nast consulting ZT GmbH as a new member of the network! nast consulting provides services in the areas of transportation, spatial planning, environment, and infrastructure. Their transportation services focus on traffic counts, traffic concepts, traffic analyses and forecasts, traffic models and simulations, and road safety assessments (RSI/RSA). In spatial planning,…
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RT-VitalMonitor – Monitoring the vital signs of emergency personnel (“Blaulicht” magazine)
The new issue of the fire service magazine Blaulicht not only covers the recent record-breaking onset of winter weather, but also high-tech monitoring of the vital signs of emergency personnel. This monitoring is the core of the FORTE project “RT-VitalMonitor” by JOANNEUM RESEARCH (JR), which for the first time provides objective, real-time data on the physical condition of emergency…
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Recording Available: DRR Lunch Talk On Avalanche & Glacier Research
The dynamics of hazards in alpine regions are undergoing fundamental changes – due, among other things, to progressive climate change and correspondingly rising temperatures, the thawing of permafrost, the retreat of glaciers, and altered precipitation patterns. This was one of the key takeaways from the DRR lunch talk on February 25, 2026, which focused on…
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Rolling into Action: DCNA Research Lab Adds a Mobile Robot
DCNA has expanded its mobile research laboratory with a state-of-the-art quadruped robot: the Unitree GO2-W. Compact, agile, and robust, this legged robot complements the existing equipment consisting of a laboratory bus, pick-up vehicle, drone, and the Mercator robotic platform, opening up new perspectives for research and deployment in realistic crisis and disaster environments. Technical specifications Search and rescue, inspection and data acquisition The GO2-W serves as a flexible…
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Between Risk and Resilience: Avalanche Management Article in Blaulicht Magazine
Avalanches are rare but potentially devastating natural hazards in alpine regions. In Austria, decades of experience with historical disaster events have led to the development of a dense and internationally recognised system of prevention, warning, and protection mechanisms. How these structures interact today—and why their continuous evolution is essential—is examined in the article “Between Risk…
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DRR Stammtisch Lunch Talk Series: Avalanche and Glacier Research
What new developments and insights are emerging in avalanche and glacier research? These and other questions will be addressed in a DRR Stammtisch webinar hosted by DCNA on February 25, 2026 (starting at 11:30 am). The event is called Innovative (Monitoring) Strategies and Developments in Avalanche and Glacier Research for Disaster Preparedness and is aimed at researchers,…
