Commentary Archives

Operation Twister – Exercising Disaster Behavioral Response

Craig DeAtley July 8, 2015

Functional exercises are invaluable for helping participants understand their roles in disasters. This is particularly true for participants who normally are not included in interagency exercises, such as behavioral health personnel. Triaging following a disaster should not stop at the physical level, but should consider psychological concerns as well.Every disaster

Leadership: Building Better Response Efforts in the Future

Mark A. Desimone Sr. June 17, 2015

When fate throws a “sucker punch,” one will do whatever it is habit to do, for all are creatures of habit. During the recent civil unrest in Baltimore, good leaders rose to the task to restore order to the city. However, these leaders are not always the ones in the

Bridging the Public-Private Sector Divide

Catherine L. Feinman May 27, 2015

At the April 2015 Ready Chesapeake meeting, members of this nonprofit group discussed ways to build business continuity within Annapolis-area communities and created a survey to reach out to other jurisdictions for suggestions. Practitioners (149 public sector, 80 private sector) from 47 U.S. states, Washington, D.C., Canada, and Martinique shared

Relying on Good Fortune – Not an Acceptable Preparedness Strategy

Robert C. Hutchinson April 1, 2015

When hundreds of people fall ill from a mysterious biological agent, public health and law enforcement agencies work seamlessly to implement the established policies and enforce any necessary quarantine procedures that they have planned and trained for well in advance of the current threat. At least, that is what should happen.

Talking to People Who Do Not Believe Bad Things Can Happen

William Kaewert February 25, 2015

A deliberate enemy attack on U.S. infrastructure may be a credible threat but, if the warning is provided at the wrong time, in the wrong place, or to the wrong audience, the message will have no, or possibly even a negative, response. An effective presenter is able to tell a story, be

Brainstorm – 25 Concepts From Subject Matter Experts

Domestic Preparedness December 31, 2014

When planning for its annual forecast issue, DomPrep reached out to subject matter experts in all preparedness disciplines to share which solutions they believe have significant potential to improve preparedness (readiness and resilience) over the next five years. In 200 words or less, more than 50 readers answered the call.

Future Response Capabilities: Five Points to Consider

Craig Crume December 17, 2014

With a few practical steps, state and local governments, as well as other planning and response agencies, can accomplish a lot with little or no changes in their budgets. These agencies can build capability, confidence, and readiness by developing concepts of operations, reviewing equipment needs, training personnel, maintaining instruments, and

Em-Powering Communities to Prepare

Catherine L. Feinman November 26, 2014

Modern society has become dependent on electrical resources that sustain communications, transportation, agriculture, finance, water, sanitation, and other aspects of daily life. As such, a catastrophic failure of the electric power grid likely would have devastating cascading effects. In this month’s survey, 58 DomPrep readers replied to a flash poll

Challenge: Defeat Ballistic Missile Attacks From the South

Henry (Hank) F. Cooper November 19, 2014

When President John F. Kennedy announced that Soviet ships were transporting nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles to Cuba, U.S. citizens prepared to “duck and cover” as they had been taught in grade school. Individuals and families were more self-reliant in the 1960s than today. With greater reliance on electricity, all Americans are now

Electromagnetic Pulses – Six Common Misconceptions

George H. Baker November 5, 2014

Many misconceptions about electromagnetic pulse (EMP) effects have circulated for years among technical and policy experts, in press reports, on preparedness websites, and even in technical journals. Because many aspects of EMP-generation physics and its effects are obscure, misconceptions from those who do not perceive the seriousness of the effects

Part V – The ‘Big Picture’: Integration of Strategies & Plans

Catherine L. Feinman October 29, 2014

Part 5 of 5: By implementing a national command structure, creating ongoing relationships, sharing resources, and participating in joint exercises and trainings, Baltimore City is able to better coordinate preparedness efforts with multiple disciplines and jurisdictions to protect communities and critical infrastructure. A small staff can accomplish a lot when everyone works together.

Natural Disasters: View From the Northeast

Catherine L. Feinman October 28, 2014

Natural disasters can have devastating consequences, as seen following Superstorm Sandy. DomPrep interviewed three distinguished guests to learn more about this topic from the local, regional, and federal perspectives and to provide insights on current mitigation efforts to prepare for, respond to, and recover from future threats.

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