The men and women who put their lives on the line to protect our communities and citizens need to know they can rely on the tools they use in emergencies. New technologies are developed every day to enhance responder performance and safety, but are they durable? Will they perform under pressure? That’s what the National Urban Security Technology Laboratory (NUSTL) aims to ensure.

Funded by S&T's Office of National Laboratories, NUSTL serves as a federal resource supporting the successful development, evaluation and transition of homeland security technologies into field use for law enforcement, fire and other emergency response agencies.

Located in the heart of New York City, NUSTL serves first responders in the Tri-State region and beyond. Its relationships with the region’s homeland security community have allowed the New York metropolitan area to be used as an urban test bed for the diverse technologies and systems being developed to prepare and protect our nation.

NUSTL:

• Conducts test programs, pilots, demonstrations and other evaluations in the lab and in the field alongside responders;
• Provides expert technical assistance to first responders for the development and execution of training and exercises and assessment of equipment performance;
• Applies knowledge of responder environments, operations and mission requirements into the development of more effective technologies; and
• Supports the development and use of homeland security standards.

For more information on NUSTL, contact nustl@hq.dhs.gov.