COMMENTARY ARCHIVES
Bridging the Public-Private Sector Divide
Catherine L. Feinman
May 27, 2015
At the April 2015 Ready Chesapeake meeting, members of this nonprofit group discussed ways to build business continuity within Annapolis-area communities and created a survey to reach out to other jurisdictions for suggestions. Practitioners (149 public sector, 80 private sector) from 47 U.S. states, Washington, D.C., Canada, and Martinique shared
Relying on Good Fortune – Not an Acceptable Preparedness Strategy
Robert C. Hutchinson
April 1, 2015
When hundreds of people fall ill from a mysterious biological agent, public health and law enforcement agencies work seamlessly to implement the established policies and enforce any necessary quarantine procedures that they have planned and trained for well in advance of the current threat. At least, that is what should
Talking to People Who Do Not Believe Bad Things Can Happen
William Kaewert
February 25, 2015
A deliberate enemy attack on U.S. infrastructure may be a credible threat but, if the warning is provided at the wrong time, in the wrong place, or to the wrong audience, the message will have no, or possibly even a negative, response. An effective presenter is able to tell a
Brainstorm – 25 Concepts From Subject Matter Experts
Domestic Preparedness
December 31, 2014
When planning for its annual forecast issue, DomPrep reached out to subject matter experts in all preparedness disciplines to share which solutions they believe have significant potential to improve preparedness (readiness and resilience) over the next five years. In 200 words or less, more than 50 readers answered the call.
Future Response Capabilities: Five Points to Consider
Craig Crume
December 17, 2014
With a few practical steps, state and local governments, as well as other planning and response agencies, can accomplish a lot with little or no changes in their budgets. These agencies can build capability, confidence, and readiness by developing concepts of operations, reviewing equipment needs, training personnel, maintaining instruments, and
Em-Powering Communities to Prepare
Catherine L. Feinman
November 26, 2014
Modern society has become dependent on electrical resources that sustain communications, transportation, agriculture, finance, water, sanitation, and other aspects of daily life. As such, a catastrophic failure of the electric power grid likely would have devastating cascading effects. In this month’s survey, 58 DomPrep readers replied to a flash poll
Challenge: Defeat Ballistic Missile Attacks From the South
Henry (Hank) F. Cooper
November 19, 2014
When President John F. Kennedy announced that Soviet ships were transporting nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles to Cuba, U.S. citizens prepared to “duck and cover” as they had been taught in grade school. Individuals and families were more self-reliant in the 1960s than today. With greater reliance on electricity, all
Electromagnetic Pulses – Six Common Misconceptions
George H. Baker
November 5, 2014
Many misconceptions about electromagnetic pulse (EMP) effects have circulated for years among technical and policy experts, in press reports, on preparedness websites, and even in technical journals. Because many aspects of EMP-generation physics and its effects are obscure, misconceptions from those who do not perceive the seriousness of the effects
Part V – The ‘Big Picture’: Integration of Strategies & Plans
Catherine L. Feinman
October 29, 2014
Part 5 of 5: By implementing a national command structure, creating ongoing relationships, sharing resources, and participating in joint exercises and trainings, Baltimore City is able to better coordinate preparedness efforts with multiple disciplines and jurisdictions to protect communities and critical infrastructure. A small staff can accomplish a lot when
Natural Disasters: View From the Northeast
Catherine L. Feinman
October 28, 2014
Natural disasters can have devastating consequences, as seen following Superstorm Sandy. DomPrep interviewed three distinguished guests to learn more about this topic from the local, regional, and federal perspectives and to provide insights on current mitigation efforts to prepare for, respond to, and recover from future threats.
Multidiscipline Training
Catherine L. Feinman
October 22, 2014
Since 1998, the Center for Domestic Preparedness (CDP) in Anniston, Alabama, has been offering interdisciplinary training to emergency responders. In April 2014, the Baltimore regional incident management team (IMT) traveled to Anniston for a pilot program developed for IMTs. Listen to Captain Michael Pfaltzgraff of the Anne Arundel County Fire
Part IV – A Regional ‘Whole-Community’ Approach
Catherine L. Feinman
October 22, 2014
Part 4 of 5: Baltimore City takes the whole-community approach to a regional level. By integrating the business community into the city’s operations and planning process and working with regional partners to plan for and respond to incidents and special events, the city is able to use these many relationships
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