Author Archive

Crowd-Control Challenges in Pandemic Emergencies

The widespread outbreak of an infectious disease poses tremendous challenges for all disciplines in the emergency-services community. Pandemic emergencies are generally regarded as a significant public-health problem, but it is important that all stakeholders recognize that such pandemics present the law-enforcement community with major challenges as well. Fortunately, pandemic outbreaks

Reducing the AN Threat: Congress Acts to Prevent Murrah Bombing Repeat

Explosive devices remain the weapon of choice of terrorists worldwide. According to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF), over 200 explosive attacks occurred in the United States in 2003. Most explosive devices in the United States use commercially available chemical compounds as their key ingredients. One such compound,

The Registered Traveler Program: Faster Passenger Screening? Or a Security Loophole?

Terrorist exploitation of the commercial air industry came to a crescendo with the 9/11 attacks. Neither industry nor governments globally could ignore the need to provide better security for aircraft as well as passengers. Striking the balance between passenger screening and the efficient movement of those passengers has been a

The Vile and Versatile Internet: A New Tool for the Cyber-Savvy Terrorist

The Internet is arguably the greatest cross-cultural bridge in the history of mankind. Its global reach enhances business, research, and personal relationships at the speed of light. In addition, it is a tremendously underestimated and versatile tool now being massively used by terrorists. Its most attractive features include the user’s

Chlorine Tactics in Iraq; the Challenge to America

For more than a decade, terrorist groups have been demonstrating an increasingly greater interest in using easily obtained chemicals as components of conventional explosive weapons. In Iraq, the first half of 2007 was marked by an alarming escalation of attacks using chemical-based “dirty” bombs. Meanwhile, police and fire services personnel

Interdicting a Suspected Suicide-Homicide Bomber

In the war on terrorism at home, facing a suspected suicide/homicide bomber is one of the greatest street challenges facing U.S. law-enforcement officers today. Police officers have to swiftly and effectively evaluate physical and behavioral characteristics that may (or may not) indicate a suspect’s possession of an improvised explosive device

CONTOMS: The Attributes of Excellence

In both the war on drugs and the current war on terrorism, CONTOMS (Counter Narcotics and Terrorism Medical Support) has been the leading training program for federal, state, and local Tactical Emergency Medical Support (TEMS) programs.  Created in 1989, CONTOMS has evolved its training curriculum to meet ever-changing terrorist threats. 

Can U.S. Defeat the Suicide/Homicide-Bomber Threat?

U.S. law-enforcement agencies at all levels of government are gearing up to deal with a possibly nationwide outbreak of terrorist attacks similar to those that have already terrified London, Madrid, Bali, Mumbai, and – most of all – Baghdad.

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Article Out Loud – Mental Awareness to Enhance Preparedness

  Full article by Andrew (Andy) Altizer, an Article Out Loud from Domestic Preparedness, April 17, 2024. In this featured article, an emergency manager with military experience points out that emergency managers, public health officials, and first responders often stress the importance of physical fitness, but sometimes neglect mental fitness.

Article Out Loud – Primary Care Investments to Increase Community Resilience

  Full article by Angie Im, an Article Out Loud from Domestic Preparedness, April 17, 2024. In this featured article, a healthcare research and policy expert describes the importance of community health centers and their impact on community resilience. These medical lifelines for millions of Americans are facing financial and

Article Out Loud – The Missing Plague Vials

  Full article by Robert C. Hutchinson, an Article Out Loud from Domestic Preparedness, April 17, 2024. In this featured article, an experienced federal agent shares a true story of missing bubonic plague vials, an airport bomb threat, and other suspicious activities that demonstrate continued national and homeland security vulnerabilities

Article Out Loud – The “R” Word

  Full article by George Schwartz, an Article Out Loud from Domestic Preparedness, April 10, 2024. In this featured article, an associate professor at Immaculata University addresses the challenge of defining resilience and the need to go beyond hazard mitigation. With 2024 being the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s “Year of Resilience,”

Article Out Loud – Dungeons and Disasters: Gamification of Public Health Responses

  Full article by Michael Etzel and Michael Prasad, an Article Out Loud from Domestic Preparedness, April 10, 2024. In this featured article, two emergency managers describe how advanced technologies are offering new ways to train personnel, exercise public health responses like COVID-19, and prepare response agencies for many other

Article Out Loud – Interoperability During Mass Casualty Incidents

  Full article by Charles Guddemi and Catherine Feinman, an Article Out Loud from Domestic Preparedness, April 3, 2024. In this featured article, the District of Columbia’s Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency’s statewide interoperability coordinator and the editor of Domestic Preparedness highlight the key takeaways from a 2024 interoperability

Article Out Loud – Emergency Management Goes to the Hill

  Full article by Kay C. Goss and Catherine L. Feinman, an Article Out Loud from Domestic Preparedness, March 27, 2024. In this featured article, two attendees of a Senate briefing on “The State of Emergency Management” discuss the assistance needs of emergency managers working behind the scenes to ensure

Article Out Loud – The Evolution of Homeland Security Higher Education

  Full article by Heather Issvoran, an Article Out Loud from Domestic Preparedness, March 27, 2024. In this featured article, the director of strategic communications for the Center for Homeland Defense and Security describes how homeland security education expanded after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, to ensure that

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