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COMMUNICATION & INTEROPERABILITY ARCHIVES

Equipment Standardization – A New-Old Approach

The so-called “standardization” of equipment is intended to lower costs, simplify procurement decisions, and also improve training and operational capabilities – theoretically, at least. When the standards previously approved are not followed, though, or are simply ignored, new and complex difficulties follow in short order. When those difficulties complicate CBRNE

FINAL REPORT: Information Sharing Across Emergency Management Disciplines

Since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, great strides have been made to share information across disciplines, but gaps still remain. Timely, actionable information is needed to effectively protect against and respond to future attacks. This report discusses a multi-discipline, “need-to-share” approach, which includes sharing information within and between communities.

IT and the New Fight Against Drug Trafficking & Gangs

Tighter laws, high-tech data systems, and considerable operational experience are making it “easier” for law enforcement agencies at all levels of government to fight the unprecedented growth of drug trafficking that is now a major danger in neighborhoods throughout the country. The winner of that fight has yet to be

NIMS/ICS and Drug-Enforcement Operations – Yes and No

Drug trafficking throughout the United States has become such an omnipresent danger that it can be diminished and eventually defeated only by the combined efforts of law-enforcement and intelligence agencies at all levels of government – local, state, and federal. Here, with the names of specific sources necessarily withheld, is

Lt. Gen. H. Steven Blum, USA (Ret.), Discussion Centered on the Nation’s Drug Threat

“Illegal drugs and their second- and third-order effects present what could arguably be the most dangerous and clear existential threat to the American people – more than any other horrific, catastrophic threat. With the ability to touch every citizen, reach every family, and affect every household, no one is completely

PTSD: The Front Lines of a New Conflict

The “save rate” of military personnel wounded in battle used to be extremely low. Now it is much higher, thanks in large part to better medicine and improved medical transport (ambulances and helicopters, primarily). However, one unanticipated result has been a huge increase in the survival of personnel suffering from

Lessons Learned: The Mass Shootings in Tucson

In the violent world of the 21st century, there is no way to absolutely guarantee the safety of any one individual – for example, a Congresswoman holding a press conference at a Safeway without security. But, if nothing else, the senseless shooting last year of U.S. Representative Gabriel Giffords and

Operation Tomodachi: The U.S./DoD Response to Fukushima

When Japan was faced with a Level-7 radiation event following the 2011 earthquake that triggered a devastating tsunami, it drew attention from agencies and governments around the world. The Tomodachi response team was deployed by the U.S. DoD to join Japanese forces in sharing radiation-related information to help contain the

The InfraGard Alliance: Personal Relations & Information Sharing

When the most capable and most experienced U.S. law-enforcement agency and 47,000 of the nation’s best informed and most dedicated private citizens join forces to thwart terrorists, track down and capture criminals, and protect the nation’s infrastructure, the smart money is on the “good guys”. Which is only one reason

RR/SAP: The Process of Building Resiliency

Numerous tangible “things” and a broad spectrum of managers and operational personnel are needed to create and improve the nation’s physical resilience and recovery capabilities. The process starts, though, in the think tanks and sometimes esoteric planning sessions that determine what specific actions should be taken – when, how, and

‘Route PM’: Building a Better Evacuation Plan

One of the most difficult tasks facing emergency planners today involves traffic management – more specifically, getting as many people out of town just as fast as possible in times of crisis. That job is much more difficult when thousands of local residents head south instead of north – which

Social Media: A Seismic Opportunity

On 23 August 2011, a 5.9-magnitude earthquake struck Mineral, Virginia, and rattled a large area up and down the U.S. East Coast – an area unaccustomed to such seismic events. In the moments that followed, information and shocked reactions spread at an unprecedented rate. But the first reports were not

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