EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ARCHIVES
Advances in Medical Countermeasures for Chemical Terrorism
Bruce Clements
March 13, 2012
With the potential to kill thousands in a single attack, chemical warfare agents have been an ongoing threat to nations around the world since World War I. Although efforts have been made to reduce the production and stockpiling of these deadly chemicals, there remains a need not only to stockpile
Hospital Preparedness for ‘Chemical/Detergent’ Suicides
Craig DeAtley
March 7, 2012
The Hospital Accreditation Standards established by The Joint Commission, and followed by almost all of the nation’s healthcare facilities, mandate that U.S. hospitals should be prepared to decontaminate patients who have been exposed to hazardous materials. However, although thousands of incidents involving hazardous materials occur annually in the United
FINAL REPORT: Information Sharing Across Emergency Management Disciplines
Joseph W. Trindal
February 23, 2012
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.
Addiction in Emergency Services: Coworkers Help, Denial Hurts
Victor Welzant
February 22, 2012
Major stress and constant pressure are all part of the job for emergency-services personnel and other responders. A less obvious but greater danger is caused by drug and alcohol addictions. Professional help is available, but not always wanted. What is most needed, and in the long term most effective, is
The Most Dangerous Existential Threat: Illegal Drugs
H. Steven Blum
February 15, 2012
The flow of illegal drugs from Mexico into the United States is not a mere “problem” that affects only a few U.S. states along the U.S.-Mexico border, but rather a major national-security threat. Here, a former chief of the U.S. National Guard spells out the complicated details of this clear
NIMS/ICS and Drug-Enforcement Operations – Yes and No
Stephen Grainer
February 15, 2012
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
Domestic Preparedness
February 15, 2012
“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
Lessons Learned: The Mass Shootings in Tucson
Sophia Paros
February 1, 2012
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
Narcan: The Spray That Saves
Joseph Cahill
February 1, 2012
First question: Should “everyday citizens” – however that term is defined – be given access to potentially harmful medications, including antidotes to dangerous narcotics? Well, perhaps. Second question: What if the medication also saves lives? Now the answer is a much more emphatic “perhaps”. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is working
Operation Tomodachi: The U.S./DoD Response to Fukushima
Jamie Stowe
January 25, 2012
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
Surviving the End of the World
Joseph Cahill
January 25, 2012
In almost all dangerous events and incidents, the highest priority of the first responders on the scene is to save lives. The parallel obligation of emergency managers and other senior officials, therefore, is to do as much as possible to save and protect the lives of the lifesavers themselves.
RR/SAP: The Process of Building Resiliency
Jerry P. Brashear
January 25, 2012
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
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