September – A Busy Month of Preparedness

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.

First, on Tuesday, 18 September, DomPrep hosted a roundtable that included 16 subject matter experts. The conversation centered on the “Harmful Risks to Preparedness Professionals From Fentanyl/Opioid Exposure.” Important takeaways will appear in a future edition of the DPJ Weekly Brief along with an article on DomesticPreparedness.com.

Second, last week President Donald Trump released the long awaited National Biodefense Strategy and the Memorandum on the Support for National Biodefense. I am honored to report to the readers that DomPrep’s policy organization, the Preparedness Leadership Council, is planning to host a roundtable conversation on that strategy in mid-October. I am also privileged to announce that Dr. Robert Kadlec, MD, the Department of Health and Human Services’ Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) has agreed to be the keynote speaker at this event. We look forward to learning details about the strategy and particularly the ASPR’s vision on how to execute it.

DomPrep readers may remember that this topic has been covered in the DomPrep Journal in the past. We can only hope that this administration’s ability to fund and execute will be different because strategy without funds is just rhetoric. So, we are hopeful that they can meet expectations on the five goals they have outlined. The threats, vulnerability, consequences, and interdependencies from a biological event are just too cataclysm to ignore. DomPrep’s readers can look for a comprehensive report based on key finding and actionable items captured from the roundtable and published later this year. 

Also in this month’s issue:

• A former associate FEMA director in charge of national preparedness, training, and exercises addresses how FEMA’s new strategic plan may benefit responses to future disasters.
• A senior policy advisor for the New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services introduces a crisis management framework that operationalizes key concepts during a crisis.
• An expert on control system cybersecurity shares his cybersecurity concerns and suggestions regarding control systems, which are becoming increasingly vulnerable as systems become more complex.
• An emergency medical technician addresses the perceptions and practices that divide the disparate pre-hospital emergency medical services, as well as possible solutions to bridge the gaps.