COMMENTARY ARCHIVES
Building a Healthy & Resilient Community
Catherine L. Feinman
December 26, 2018
A healthy community is a resilient community. From pandemic threats to school shootings, crisis events continue to affect the health and wellbeing of the surrounding human population long after the crisis ends. These health effects can then weaken a community’s ability to cope with future disasters. As such, physical, psychological,
Hurricanes & Islands – One Year Later
Andrew R. Roszak and Chance Lindner
December 19, 2018
During September 2017, two major Category 5 hurricanes impacted the U.S. Virgin Islands. More than one year later, the scope, scale, and magnitude of Hurricanes Irma and Maria are still being felt. The three islands that make up the U.S. Virgin Islands – St. Thomas, St. Croix, and St. John
Combating Public Health & Security Concerns
Catherine L. Feinman
November 28, 2018
In 2014, the United States was directly exposed to the Ebola virus, which was at that time relatively unknown on domestic soil. The nation was underprepared to manage the public relations issues associated with this scenario. Since that time, roundtables have been conducted, responder trainings have been created, and information
A 2017 Best Practice for Private Sector Communications
Kathryn Howard, Ira Tannenbaum, Amanda N. Coats and Ryan Hagen
November 21, 2018
Coordination between the public and private sectors are essential for communicating effectively to the public during emergencies. It is important for government agencies to build relationships with private partners during “blue skies” to ensure that proper plans and messaging are in place in the event of an actual emergency. New
Modern Responses to Today’s Disasters
Catherine L. Feinman
October 31, 2018
Disaster plans of previous generations do not adequately reflect the risks, threats, and needs of modern society. Changing demographics, aging populations, and increasing natural and human-caused disasters each reinforce the need for emergency and disaster preparedness professionals to gain the knowledge and training needed to make informed decisions to mitigate
The Opioid Crisis & Its Impact on Public Safety
Catherine L. Feinman
October 17, 2018
The United States is in the midst of an epidemic of addiction to opioids and fentanyl. On 18 September 2018, DomPrep hosted a roundtable discussion at MedStar NRH Rehabilitation Network in Washington, DC, to discuss this threat. The three-hour conversation led by Craig DeAtley, PA-C, emergency manager for MedStar System,
September – A Busy Month of Preparedness
Martin D. Masiuk
September 26, 2018
September always seems to be a very busy month, not just because it is preparedness month but also considering the large number of meetings, conferences, contract/budget/procurement cycles, and so on. This is true for Team DomPrep too. Two important events happened last week that need to be shared with the readership.
EMS Is EMS – Own It
Catherine L. Feinman
September 19, 2018
National Preparedness Month is a time for each person to reflect on his or her level of preparedness for the next emergency. This article challenges those in the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) to do the same. Whether training for Basic Life Support (BLS) or progressing to Advanced Life Support (ALS),
Disasters – Seeing the Big Picture
Catherine L. Feinman
August 29, 2018
Stakeholders in each discipline are tasked with protecting their industries’ assets and resources from potential risks and threats. However, each industry is interdependent on numerous other industries and their preparedness practices. The “whole community” concept encompasses the “all for one and one for all” motto. Together, communities can build strength
CASE STUDY: Analysis of Unknown Samples in a Methamphetamine Lab
Sponsored Case Study
August 22, 2018
A clandestine drug lab is a health and safety nightmare for first responders. The chemicals are almost never labelled. The initial on-site team is normally followed by several hazardous materials technicians. These experts need to make sure the crime scene is safe and dangerous items are properly handled before evidence
Securing Communities as National Security Threats Evolve
Catherine L. Feinman
July 25, 2018
There is no quick fix for addressing all national security threats. Even if there were, it would still be challenging to keep up with the threat environment as it continually evolves at what seems to be exponential rates. The natural and manmade disasters of yesteryear are compounded with emerging cyber,
The Big Data Bind
Daniel M. Gerstein
July 18, 2018
The use of genealogy websites to find the alleged Golden State killer, Cambridge Analytica’s use of Facebook data to develop targeted ads for the 2016 presidential campaign, and the loss of privacy resulting from the sharing of information on social media bring into focus some of the unintended consequences of
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