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Special Events Challenges – A Sesquicentennial Example

Stephen Grainer January 9, 2013
Much has changed in 150 years, but there are some constants – weather, geography, population – that are almost always changing. By understanding local climate conditions, the topography and transportation challenges involved, and the sometimes malicious intent of certain attendees, special event planners can prevent or at least mitigate the

CBRNE & NIMS: Complementary, Not Contradictory

Stephen Grainer September 19, 2012
Some critics of the U.S. National Incident Management System (NIMS) have cited a wide variety of examples to justify their claims that the NIMS policy guidelines will not fully and/or effectively serve the nation’s needs in managing future emergency-response situations.

NIMS – Not an American Exclusive

Stephen Grainer July 18, 2012
“Management” is in many ways an abstract and somewhat generic term, but most citizens have a general understanding of what the word means. Whether the relatively new U.S. National Incident Management System (NIMS) is of American origin or not is perhaps debatable, but the concept itself is nonetheless useful in

NIMS/ICS and Drug-Enforcement Operations – Yes and No

Stephen Grainer February 15, 2012
Drug trafficking throughout the United States has become such an omnipresent danger that it can be diminished and eventually defeated only by the combined efforts of law-enforcement and intelligence agencies at all levels of government – local, state, and federal. Here, with the names of specific sources necessarily withheld, is

Training, Exercises, and the ICS: A Natural Fit

Stephen Grainer August 10, 2011
The NFL’s energetic but belated start on pre-season training is a timely reminder that even the best-conditioned and most highly skilled players cannot rest on last year’s laurels. The same is true, but much more so, of emergency responders, whose goal is not to win the Super Bowl but to

Man-Caused Incidents – New Challenges & Systems

Stephen Grainer June 22, 2011
“Man-caused incidents” – the politically correct term used to describe terrorist attacks – have increased in frequency and severity in recent years and are likely to continue to do so far into the future. Which is one of many good reasons why U.S. emergency managers are focusing more attention on

CBRNE Preparedness – The Necessary Prerequisites

Stephen Grainer March 30, 2011
It is taking longer than originally anticipated, but U.S. policies and plans to cope with future CBRNE incidents, accidental or manmade, are not only being published and implemented at the federal level (then revised and updated – if, as, and when needed) but also being replicated, in operational specifics, at

NIMS-ICS & the Private Sector – Good Fit, or a Stretch?

Stephen Grainer September 22, 2010
Nine years later, and nothing has changed! Well, that is not exactly true. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is alive and, although not always moving forward at flank speed, has made considerable progress in several ways. Many relatively new programs should be expanded and upgraded, though, particularly those involving

NIMS/ICS Case Study: Evacuation & State-Managed Shelters

Stephen Grainer and Patricia Snead June 16, 2010
If a hotel has been overbooked most people go to another hotel just a block or two away. That solution does not work when a mass-casualty incident requires the evacuation of hundreds, perhaps thousands, of citizens. Immediately. Which is why local evacuation plans must anticipate the need for additional sheltering
Fire on hillside behind power lines

Critical Infrastructure Protection: Another Role for NIMS Plus ICS

Stephen Grainer March 10, 2010
The numerous presidential directives and policy documents issued since the 9/11 terrorist attacks have focused on various specialized areas of homeland-security and counterterrorism operations and activities. Many of those “specialized areas” are closely interrelated in their separate but complementary goals and objectives, though, and when used in combination can achieve

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Article Out Loud – Volunteers: Incident Management Assets or Liabilities?

July 31, 2024
  Full article by David Wells, an Article Out Loud from Domestic Preparedness, July 31, 2024. In this feature article, the director of disaster relief for a faith-based nonprofit describes how his organization has refined its volunteer program over the past 57 years of disaster response in the U.S. and

Article Out Loud – Mitigating Disasters Through Collective Resilience

July 24, 2024
  Full article by Andy Altizer and Barrett Cappetto, an Article Out Loud from Domestic Preparedness, July 24, 2024. In this feature article, an emergency preparedness coordinator and a pipeline controller emphasize the importance of leveraging existing social bonds to help communities better adapt to, respond to, and collectively cope

Article Out Loud – Drones – A Life-Saving Time-Saver

July 24, 2024
  Full article by Kevin Jones, an Article Out Loud from Domestic Preparedness, July 24, 2024. In this feature article, a school protection specialist and security manager pulls from his personal experience with law enforcement to highlight drone uses that save lives and time during incidents. As drone technology continues

Article Out Loud – The Key Bridge Collapse – Through the Lens of Community Lifelines

July 17, 2024
  Full article by Michael Prasad, an Article Out Loud from Domestic Preparedness, July 17, 2024. In this feature article, a Certified Emergency Manager lists eight major elements of Community Lifelines using traffic-light-type color-coding to categorize a disaster’s adverse impact status. He applied this same system to the Key Bridge collapse

Article Out Loud – The Maui Wildfires, Relief Funds, and Incident Recovery

July 10, 2024
  Full article by Douglas (Doug) Stockham, an Article Out Loud from Domestic Preparedness, July 10, 2024. In this feature article, the co-founder of the nonprofit Emergency Assistance Foundation describes the financial effects of the Maui wildfires. When a disaster strikes, some people do not have the protections or the

Article Out Loud – Five Key Domains of Incident Management

July 10, 2024
  Full article by Aaron Clark-Ginsberg, an Article Out Loud from Domestic Preparedness, July 10, 2024. In this feature article, a behavioral social scientist lists five key domains that can help incident management teams assess and improve their effectiveness. Effective incident management is a set of activities, not simply boxes

Article Out Loud – Jane Doe – Responding to Vulnerable Patients

June 26, 2024
  Full article by Catherine L. Feinman, an Article Out Loud from Domestic Preparedness, June 26, 2024. In this feature article, the editor of Domestic Preparedness shares the real-life story of a medical crew who responded to a call that left a lasting impression. Despite the prevalence of first responders

Article Out Loud – Invisible Chains: Human Trafficking, Drug Abuse, and Support

June 19, 2024
  Full article by Sandra Dennis-Essig, an Article Out Loud from Domestic Preparedness, June 19, 2024. In this feature article, an emergency manager collaborated with the New Jersey Coalition Against Human Trafficking as an advocate, speaker, and survivor to share trauma-informed care and advocacy that first responders, legislators, and others

Article Out Loud – Fentanyl Hazards and Detection

June 12, 2024
  Full article by Ashley Bradley and Kristin Omberg, an Article Out Loud from Domestic Preparedness, June 12, 2024. In this feature article, a biomedical scientist and a senior technical advisor share new ways scientists at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory are expanding detection strategies and technologies to keep responders safe. The
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Domestic Preparedness

2883 Highway 71 E
P.O. Box 285
Del Valle, TX 78617-9998

Editorial Statement

Founded in 1998, Domestic Preparedness continues to be a pioneering thought leader in the emergency preparedness, response, and recovery space. The multidisciplinary editorial focus helps professionals acquire critical information to develop collaborative, real-world solutions. With relevant, multidisciplinary, whole-community intelligence from the front lines, practitioners can learn from diverse perspectives. The authoritative, practitioner-centered, multimedia information platform disseminates intelligence the way busy management-level public- and private-sector professionals want to learn. This is the trusted source for content written by practitioners, for practitioners, with relevant, real-world best practices.

DomesticPreparedness.com, the Domestic Preparedness Journal and the Weekly Brief include facts, views, opinions, and recommendations of individuals and organizations deemed of interest. The Texas Division of Emergency Management and the Texas A&M University System do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or timeliness of, or otherwise endorse, these views, facts, opinions or recommendations.
©2024 Texas Division of Emergency Management

Domestic Preparedness

2883 Highway 71E

P.O. Box 285

Del Valle, TX 78617-9998

Editorial Statement

Founded in 1998, Domestic Preparedness continues to be a pioneering thought leader in the emergency preparedness, response, and recovery space. The multidisciplinary editorial focus helps professionals acquire critical information to develop collaborative, real-world solutions. With relevant, multidisciplinary, whole-community intelligence from the front lines, practitioners can learn from diverse perspectives. The authoritative, practitioner-centered, multimedia information platform disseminates intelligence the way busy management-level public- and private-sector professionals want to learn. This is the trusted source for content written by practitioners, for practitioners, with relevant, real-world best practices.

DomesticPreparedness.com, the Domestic Preparedness Journal and the Weekly Brief include facts, views, opinions, and recommendations of individuals and organizations deemed of interest. The Texas Division of Emergency Management and the Texas A&M University System do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or timeliness of, or otherwise endorse, these views, facts, opinions or recommendations.
©2024 Texas Division of Emergency Management
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