COMMUNICATION & INTEROPERABILITY ARCHIVES
Lest We Forget
Martin D. Masiuk
September 10, 2021
Lest We Forget! The nation continues to confront questions presented by theĀ 9/11 Commission Report. The reportās preface states, āSeptember 11, 2001, was a day of unprecedented shock and suffering in the history of the United States. The nation was unprepared. How did this happen, and how can we avoid such
Security Lessons Learned ā Part 1, Boston Marathon Bombings
Daniel Rector
September 1, 2021
Acts of terrorism continue to affect communities worldwide. As the public tries to retain a semblance of everyday life by attending outdoor events, emergency planners must adapt to new intelligence and learn from past attacks. A review of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings identifies the event security plansā strengths and
COVID-19: Impact on Financial Fraud
Michael Breslin
August 25, 2021
The past 16 months have been challenging. COVID-19 left a trail of destruction and a tremendous loss of life. It has had an impact on almost every aspect of daily life. The economy, supply chains, social norms, schools, and places of worship were all affected. The pandemic also led to
Emergency Management Projects in a Quasi-Pandemic World
Sarah Keally
August 18, 2021
The COVID-19 pandemic put many projects on hold and stalled efforts to build the workforce and train the next generation. Now that agencies are revisiting pre-pandemic projects, the Fairfax County Office of Emergency Management in Virginia offers a best practices approach for introducing internship programs and filling critical operational and
Bringing Back the Preparedness Mindset
Catherine L. Feinman
July 28, 2021
Since 1998, DomPrep authors and readers have touted the need to prepare for disasters. There is a consensus among preparedness, response, and resilience professionals that forethought is the key to community resilience following a disaster. The desire to prepare is demonstrated through action: innumerable studies and best practices have been
Telecommunication Overload ā The 2021 Edition
Erik Westgard
July 21, 2021
āTelecommunication overloadā is a commonly used term that is a regular feature of various emergency scenarios. However, one fact needs to be remembered. Although some copper carrier network pieces are still in place in the United States, nearly all new investment is going into fiber backbones and updated wireless services.
The Other Life of Command Trucks
Erik Westgard
June 23, 2021
For many years, large outdoor sporting events have requested government and nongovernment organization mobile command and communications trucks to support races. Although traditionally used by incident commanders, volunteer amateur radio groups have found various ways to collaborate during special events and use these resources in Minneapolis, Minnesota to support medical
Online & Social Media Risks ā Protecting Children, Part 2
Michael Breslin and Robert Lowery Jr.
June 16, 2021
The nation has experienced unprecedented times due to the COVID-19 pandemic given the requisite need for social distancing and isolation experienced from stay-at-home orders. Daily lives were transformed. For homebound children, this was disruptive and changed daily routines. While at home, children engaged in a variety of safe and supervised
National Preparedness Failure: Hindsight Is 2020
Michael A. Brown
May 5, 2021
In February 2021, the Congressional Research Service released an evaluative nonpartisan report on the National Preparedness System (NPS). This report noted problems and difficulties experienced in 2020 during the Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic. For example, lack of personal protective equipment, disorganized logistical distribution, and other issues that demand attention. In
Formalizing the Role of Intelligence & Investigation
Michael Prasad
April 28, 2021
Emergency managers need actionable intelligence before, during, and after disasters. More than just situational awareness, the collection, analysis, and sharing of intelligence can provide an incidentās response and recovery command and general staff with much needed decision-making information.
Information ā Keep It Flowing
Catherine L. Feinman
April 28, 2021
Information flow is the process of efficiently moving information within and between jurisdictions and systems for the purpose of communicating, making decisions, and establishing policies and procedures. Whether preparing for, responding to, or recovering from a disaster, information flow is a determining factor in the success of any of these
Public Order Policing & Volunteers
Erik Westgard
April 14, 2021
Two days into the May 2020 George Floyd riots in Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota, hundreds (on the way to ~1,500) of properties were burning, with smoke visible on the horizon. Top leaders appeared on television stating that law and order were breaking down and urging calm within the community. Based on
Follow Us
Get Instant Access
Subscribe today to Domestic Preparedness and get real-world insights for safer communities.