FIRE ARCHIVES
What Volunteers Mean to Emergency Management Budgets
Keith Mumaw
September 17, 2025
Driven by a sense of humanity, volunteers are invaluable to emergency efforts. But they are essential to emergency management in more ways than one. The hours they donate and the costs they absorb by covering their own expenses positively affect the bottom line of budget-strapped emergency management departments.
The United Cajun Navy: Advancing Disaster Response With Volunteerism and Industry Partnerships
Mitchel Reed
September 10, 2025
Formed after Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the United Cajun Navy unites boat owners and other volunteers to aid during floods, hurricanes, and other disasters, bridging gaps in official response and recovery. A volunteer “technical industry liaison” partners with businesses to add technical capabilities and strengthen its efforts. This model shows
Lessons From Indigenous Emergency Response in Canada
David Formentini
September 3, 2025
Emergency management in Indigenous communities carries a unique spirit, one not always captured in the structured blueprints of conventional emergency operation centers. Emergency managers should examine culturally appropriate emergency support and communication strategies to improve crisis response.
Wildfire PREsponse: Closing the Gap With Mitigation
Mark Howell
June 18, 2025
Mitigation is essential to managing wildfires. As fire seasons grow longer and more costly, responders should be PREsponders, and mitigation experts may participate in response. Coordinated efforts to prevent wildfires are a proven strategy to address the next fire season.
Physical and Mental Injuries in First Responders: Why Wait?
Pascal Rodier
May 14, 2025
First responders undergo intense physical training to ensure they are physically prepared for emergencies. Yet despite the high-stress nature of their work, mental fitness is not given the same priority. To truly support first responders, mental wellness must be fully integrated into recruit training programs and proactively addressed throughout their
A Holistic Strategy for Responders’ Well-Being
Camilo Olivieri
May 7, 2025
First responders and emergency managers face constant, high-pressure stress from trauma, long hours, and critical decisions. This often leads to chronic stress, increasing risks of heart disease, mental health issues, and substance abuse. Their ability to help others depends on prioritizing their own well-being through proactive self-care.
A Regional Approach to Public Safety Communications Planning
Charles (Charley) Bryson
April 16, 2025
Despite significant investments in public safety, critical training gaps for first responders persist. Regional planning committees, established by the FCC in the 1980s to manage public safety radio frequencies, remain key to improving interoperability. Learn about ongoing efforts—both regional and national—to close communication gaps and improve coordinated emergency response.
AI Software in 911 Dispatch Centers: An Innovative Solution
Tanya M. Scherr
April 2, 2025
Coupled with continued staffing challenges, mental health and work-life balance difficulties in emergency call centers are cause for concern. By allowing artificial intelligence (AI) to take some of the burden off from existing staff and leadership, focus can be returned to where it is most needed within each center.
Farm to Power: New Hazards in Rural Communities
Russ Kane
March 26, 2025
In the interest of reducing methane pollution and establishing a revenue stream for a renewable resource, dairy and livestock operators are creating mechanisms to produce compressed natural gas. This new technology reduces greenhouse gases but also introduces new hazards to rural communities.
Evolution of a Critical Emergency Response Tool
Jamie Hannan and Kristina Clark
January 8, 2025
During a derecho in May 2024, Texas agencies contacted and conducted wellness checks on residents with disabilities or with functional and access needs. One tool facilitated the process, sharing critical information about registrants to the emergency responders and planners who needed to know.
Protecting Critical Infrastructure From Weaponized Drones
David Winks, Steve Chill, Frederick Ferrer, Michael J. "Apollo" Lovell, Mike Swearingen and Mary Lasky
December 4, 2024
Electricity substations are traditionally only protected by chain link fences and signage warning of the dangers of high voltage. However, this still leaves property vulnerable, especially to weaponized drones attacking from above, a mode of terrorism being used more extensively across the world and at home.
National Laboratory Partnerships: Linking Operations and Research
Ryan Eddy and Ann Lesperance
September 25, 2024
The September 11 terrorist attacks in 2001 spurred a pivotal change in the way the U.S. approaches preparedness for threats to the homeland. In recognition of National Preparedness Month, the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory showcases how national laboratories address homeland security threats by developing the technology and other resources first
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