In the United States, First Amendment rights protect the privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties
of citizens. However, in the absence of legal requirements for establishing prior probable cause or
reasonable suspicion when reporting suspicious behavior, questions arise about the degree to which the
suspicious activity reporting, Nationwide SAR Initiative, and Information Sharing Environment
(SAR-NSI-ISE) process safeguards those making reports.
To address various national threats and the U.S. Department of Defense’s (DOD) role in military and
civilian defense technology, DomPrep hosted a roundtable discussion on 21 July 2016 at the Edgewood
Chemical Biological Center (ECBC). That discussion, which was moderated by ECBC’s BioScience Division
Chief Peter Emanuel, brought together professionals from various disciplines and is summarized in this
article.
Appointment to an emergency management position is a proud moment as well as a moment that creates
doubt, anxiety, and internal questioning of one’s own ability to handle a major catastrophe. Questions
arise about the community’s hazards awareness, the status of the local emergency operations plan, and
the proverbial, “What keeps you up at night?” scenario.
DomPrep wanted to know what still keeps experts up at night. To answer this question, DomPrep
hosted and Ron Vidal, a partner at Blackrock 3 Partners, moderated a panel discussion on 17 June 2016 at
the Annual International Hazardous Materials Response Teams Conference in Baltimore, Maryland. This
article summarizes that discussion.
In June 2016, Orlando, Florida, saw the deadliest shooting in modern U.S. history. Although the shooter was known to law enforcement before the attack that killed 49 and injured more […]
The National Incident Management System (NIMS) is the mandated national framework for emergency
incident management. It is a natural derivative of the Incident Command System developed in California
after a particularly disastrous wildfire season in 1970. However, there are some notable reasons that it
should not be considered the solution for all incidents.
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 roundtable participants.
The probability of certain public health threats, the costs and funding related to such threats,
and the “silo” effect of the public health sector all contribute to the preparedness gap between public
health and other sectors. It is time to bridge this gap and update preparedness efforts to better
prepare for 21st century threats.
Space weather, nuclear, and catastrophic natural disasters are just lying in wait for the right
combination of conditions. Although it is not possible to plan specifically for every type of threat –
imaginable and unimaginable – it is necessary to weigh the risks associated with various threats and
take sufficient actions to mitigate the devastating effects.
One leading researcher shares his insights into the existential threats that the electrical infrastructure faces. He proposes that a superhighway with electrical systems protected at multiple points is not only […]
In the United States, First Amendment rights protect the privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties
of citizens. However, in the absence of legal requirements for establishing prior probable cause or
reasonable suspicion when reporting suspicious behavior, questions arise about the degree to which the
suspicious activity reporting, Nationwide SAR Initiative, and Information Sharing Environment
(SAR-NSI-ISE) process safeguards those making reports. 