Emergency preparedness professionals continually strive to protect the lives and health of those within their communities. This October edition of the Domestic Preparedness Journal describes how some professionals are doing that.
The term “whole community” is frequently used in preparedness materials and discussions. In practice, though, how often is the whole community represented and all community resources considered? Here are some key resources that should not be overlooked.
Leaders face many challenges when charged with preparing for the next emergency or disaster. However, the key word is team, so it is critical to manage, prepare, and take care of the team members. Whatever tasks leaders must juggle, do not lose sight of the team that makes all the preparedness, response, and recovery efforts possible.
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 inside a hospital training facility.
Because of the interconnectedness of so many aspects of society, the authors in this July edition of the Domestic Preparedness Journal help readers better understand what is needed in the new normal: a common operating picture, predictable lifelines, new or repurposed technological tools, and more. The new normal after COVID will be quite different from the years after 9/11. However, with critical thinking, research, and innovation, communities will discover their new normal – again.
An examination of past violence shows how terminology can affect the incident-reporting process and subsequent statistics for various incident rates. However, statistics clearly show that the COVID-19 pandemic did increase societal violence, which can significantly impact critical infrastructure. This article connects these dots and provides suggestions for reducing future impacts of societal violence.
In most fields, basic training is part of the learning process. Fire, law enforcement, the military, and other disciplines have training academies for building competencies and testing new recruits. An exception to these types of requirements is the field of emergency management. This new training academy will ensure that all emergency managers are trained to the same standards regardless how much boots-on-the-ground experience they bring with them.
To address the challenges that emergency preparedness professionals face in an ever-changing threat environment, the Domestic Preparedness Journal hosted a panel discussion at the Texas Emergency Management Conference in San Antonio, Texas, on June 2, 2022. The multidiscipline panel was moderated by James (Jim) Featherstone, a principal consultant at a crisis management consultant agency, Themata Strategic LLC. Participants included the Texas Division of Emergency Management (Deputy Chiefs Suzannah Jones and Country Weidler), Texas Department of Public Safety (Major Rhonda Lawson), Dallas Fire-Rescue (Chief Dominique Artis), Amarillo Public Health (Casie Stoughton), and Texas Army National Guard, Director Operations, Plans and Training (Colonel Robert Eason). This article summarizes the panelists’ responses to questions that leaders should be asking themselves.
The first half of 2022 certainly has been busy! As businesses fully reopen and people around the world begin to explore life in the new normal, the Domestic Preparedness Journal has been exploring its new normal as well. The journal was launched in 1998 to bridge the communication and collaboration gaps between disciplines and across jurisdictions. While the journal has now been entrusted to a new steward, the mission of bridging gaps across disciplines and jurisdictions remains the same.
A tool designed with zero tolerance would not be able to function efficiently or effectively. Likewise, taking a zero-tolerance approach to emergency preparedness and response has led to some problematic policies and procedures. This article explains why building in some level of acceptability would make policies and procedures more effective and communities more resilient.
