Agriculture & Food Defense Archives

Animals in Distress: A Community Preparedness Checklist

Richard Green and Lacie Davis September 6, 2017

Recent studies have shown that pets have the ability to relieve stress, provide purpose, and give unconditional love and support to those who need them. This profound connection is referred to as the “human-animal bond.” During an emergency or disaster, this bond is exhibited with the great lengths people go

Fit for Duty: The Resilient Responder

Anthony S. Mangeri June 28, 2017

The term “fit for duty” in modern firefighting goes beyond being physically fit to include being resilient to the stress and emotional effects of the job. For individual resilience, this means having the ability to prepare for and recover from stressful events so the responder can return to duty with

Creating a University Disaster Medical Response Team

Ruben Almaguer March 15, 2017

As one of the top 10 disaster-prone states in the nation, Florida continues to strengthen its ability to prepare for and respond to any disaster requiring specialized emergency surgical or critical care medicine. With shrinking budgets and increased demand, building effective and rapid disaster medical response capabilities requires more than

Public Health – Opportunities for Action

Catherine L. Feinman July 27, 2016

On 7 June 2016, the DomPrep team convened 14 subject matter experts from various disciplines to address issues surrounding community resilience and public health. The purpose of the roundtable was to align the missions and identify action items to create synergy among various community stakeholders. This article summarizes the key takeaways from the

Public Health: A Whole Community Approach Partner

Thomas Russo July 13, 2016

Public health practice parallels the whole community approach advocated by 21st century emergency management practitioners. Therefore, public health’s emergency preparedness actions integrate nicely with contemporary emergency management practice. Several methodologies of public health practice lend themselves to collaboration with other planning and response disciplines. By examining these methods, public health

Water Sector Resilience & Redundancy

Steven E. Bieber and Pamela Kenel April 20, 2016

With a rich history of coordinated water supply planning, the National Capital Region has been conducting regional workshops and creating new study results to enhance its ability to address the region’s water needs during a crisis. The resulting information will spur further discussion and assessment of drinking water system alternatives

U.S. Response to Outbreaks of Avian Influenza

Gary Flory April 13, 2016

Although avian influenza outbreaks occur periodically in poultry flocks, only recently has avian influenza been considered a significant threat to human health and the global economy. The 1997 emergence of H5N1 first brought attention to avian influenza’s ability to cause disease in humans. However, human infection with influenza from avian

Whole Community – A Five-Year Look Back

Catherine L. Feinman January 27, 2016

Over the past five years, the term “Whole Community” has become a common catch phrase. However, the question is, “How well is this concept being implemented?” On 16 November 2015, DomPrep hosted a roundtable discussion with subject matter experts to answer this question and share key takeaways and suggestions for building community resilience.

Animals as Part of the Whole Community

Anne McCann and Richard Green January 20, 2016

Animal issues are people issues. As such, all species household pets, service and assistance animals, agricultural animals/livestock, wildlife, and other animals (including zoo animals, shelter animals, and animals used in medical research) – must be an integral part of a community’s disaster plan at the local, state, and federal levels.

Bioterrorism in a Technologically Advanced World

Christina M. Flowers December 16, 2015

Recent advances in genetics, genomics, and biotechnology could have devastating implications for bioweapons and genetically engineered diseases. As such, these developments raise the question of whether it makes sense to pull attention away from “classic” biothreat targets, in favor of more technologically advanced options. Immediacy and ease of use may be determining factors.

Food for Thought: Emergency Shelters & Food Allergies

Andrew R. Roszak December 9, 2015

When one peanut has the ability to kill, it is necessary to examine the practices and procedures used in public yet confined spaces such as emergency shelters. By following simple steps, emergency managers are able to perform shelter operations while limiting exposure to allergens and contaminants that could turn a

Keeping It Simple – Low-Cost Technologies With High Payoffs

Timothy Moshier November 25, 2015

Detection of hazardous materials can be a very costly endeavor. However, there are ways to simplify the process, reduce costs, and increase the performance of previously purchased legacy equipment. Leveraging the operating environment and informing personnel to make better decisions are two methods for achieving these goals.

TWITTER

Get Instant Access

Subscribe today to Domestic Preparedness and get real-world insights for safer communities.