CBRNE ARCHIVES

CBRN Response Capabilities and Identified Gaps

  Chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) response has always been a challenge in identifying and quantifying a broad spectrum of organic and synthesized compounds that were once limited to laboratory analysis and research. Now, first responders have the luxury of instant field identification and classification of substances that were

Find Chances to Make Positive Changes

Emergency preparedness and response professionals willingly insert themselves into many emergencies and disasters that they could have avoided in other professions. However, they use these opportunities to make positive changes and build resiliency within their communities.

Nuclear Threats Against the Homeland: Impact and Preparation

How the war in Ukraine will end is unclear. However, research shows that there is the potential for devastating effects on a global scale. As such, it is important for emergency planners to reassess their all-hazards plans to ensure their communities identify the threats and ensure their planning processes include

Rationale for Structuring Pandemic Response on a War Footing

Given 20 years of pandemic planning, is it not surprising when people ask, “Why were we not ready?” This question should be explored whether the time has come to put the country on a warlike footing for pandemic response with a coherent, institutionalized, and tested pandemic policy.

Chemical Sector Perspectives

Section 1016 of the USA Patriot Act (codified at 42 USC 5195e) provides the current definition of critical infrastructure, describing systems and assets that are “so vital to the United States that the incapacity or destruction of such systems and assets would have a debilitating impact on security,

Hospital Response – A Personal Training Experience

Effective trainings are ones where the participants remember and later implement what they learned into their daily operations. Not everyone knows how they would respond in a true emergency. However, some trainings provide a more realistic glimpse into disaster scenarios than others. This first-hand account describes what it was like for one participant

Working Together: Partnership, Training, Funding & Tolerance

When community stakeholders work together to prepare for emergencies and disasters, they will be better prepared and have more resources to face whatever threats, risks, and hazards are in their future. Four key aspects to consider when building community resilience are addressed in this June edition of the Domestic Preparedness Journal: public-private partnerships,

Closing Preparedness Gaps – Timing Is Everything

In some ways, communities are well prepared for emergencies. However, it is critical to continuously assess systems, structures, models, and procedures to identify even small weaknesses and gaps that can become significant impediments to effectively responding to threats, hazards, and risks. The authors in this March edition of the Domestic Preparedness Journal identify

Bipartisan Commission Says Nation Unprepared for Biological Events

On 17 February 2022, Dr. Asha M. George, executive director of the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense, testified as an expert witness before the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs at a hearing on addressing the gaps in the nation’s biodefense and level of preparedness to respond to biological threats. In

Predictable Surge: A Pilot in Providence

Collaboration between public entities and private companies is essential to prepare for disasters. However, current partnerships can be formal and cumbersome to the point of detriment, or impromptu and do little to achieve their goals. This unmet need to find appropriate partnership mechanisms could be addressed by the Harvard National

Transportation Security in a Holistic Homeland Security Enterprise

Transportation security is the act of ensuring the protection and continued functioning of mobility systems for both people and commerce. It includes air, maritime, and all forms of surface transport. Transportation security is an enormous undertaking involving all government levels, the private sector, volunteer organizations, and the public. These organizations

Resilience in 2022 – Planning, Resources, & Connections

A quick search through articles on DomesticPreparedness.com for the word “resilience” reveals a possible shift in focus for preparedness professionals over the years. In 2005, the Domestic Preparedness Journal published many resilience articles that focused on creating standards and plans in order to more rapidly return to normalcy. By 2010, there seemed to

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