The Covenant School shooting is another reminder of active shooter trends. This article reviews the chain of events from that tragic event, post-incident reviews, and what communities are and should be doing to prepare for and prevent future active shooter incidents.
Concerns regarding unexpected biological incidents and their public health implications were discussed in a 2014 Domestic Preparedness biosecurity and bioterrorism article. From the improper possession and storage of decades-old live smallpox virus in a former Food and Drug Administration laboratory (lab) on the National Institute of Health (NIH) campus to the possible exposure to live Bacillus anthracis (anthrax) by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, agencies experienced lab accidents and made serious human errors. The biosafety lab concerns were not limited to these two serious incidents.
Professional groups have debated and researched the best practices relating to the standards and quality of care sufficient to maintain minimum standards during a disaster. Due to the fluid […]
In the wake of a disaster, time is critical for locating survivors and recovering bodies. This type of work requires training, skills, and abilities acquired by canines due to their unique anatomy and physiology. However, there are key considerations before implementing K9 programs.
Most industries suggest a certain level of resilience and innovation. It is important to get through challenging times to keep a company going, and “innovate or die” has long been […]
Out of first-time events come many important lessons learned. For example, information must be disseminated using familiar terminology when an unfamiliar event occurs. In addition, recovery is a team effort that begins before the event has ended. Learn how the third most populated county in the United States handled recovery after Winter Storm Uri in 2021.
Crisis standards of care and sufficiency of care are topics of great controversy and debate in professional circles. The reasons may be obvious to most. Traditionally, health care responders are trained and held to the standard of care of their profession when rendering aid. Nothing less is acceptable. The public understands this and demands this high level of care, even under disaster conditions. Medical and allied professionals experience stress when they cannot deliver high-level care and may subsequently fear liability exposure and litigation.
A new, publicly available tool provides a window into how future climate realities could affect U.S. cities and towns. Learn how planners and decision-makers can get map-based analyses driven by peer-reviewed climate data using this free portal.
The click-through, good-enough training, ubiquitous in many organizations, is not good enough anymore. A Harvard Business Review article titled “Where Companies Go Wrong with Learning and Development” (L&D) discovered that only 12% of employees applied […]
In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, health care providers and facilities, local jurisdictions, and state agencies struggled to acquire personal protective equipment (PPE), such as masks, gloves, gowns, […]