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EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ARCHIVES

Another Look at EMS Staffing in Action

As this year’s U.S. elections clearly demonstrate, there is a built-in conflict between voters’ desire for more and improved services and the equally compelling requirement, at all levels of government, to reduce expenditures. In the field of emergency medical services, this problem is particularly difficult to resolve because not only

Functional Needs Support Services: A New Paradigm in Emergency Shelter Operations

Everyone in any given community throughout the world suffers when a hurricane, earthquake, or other disaster occurs. Those who suffer the most, though, are usually those already suffering from other problems, specifically including medical impairments that make it difficult to function on their own, or even with assistance. Fortunately, new

The Reality of On-Scene Medical Control Physicians

The Emergency Medical Services (EMS) system in the United States functions primarily under the philosophy that EMS should – as efficiently as possible – assess, treat, and then quickly transport a patient to the appropriate hospital for definitive treatment by physicians. If needed, Medical Control (MC) is supplied off-line in

NIMS-ICS & the Private Sector – Good Fit, or a Stretch?

Nine years later, and nothing has changed! Well, that is not exactly true. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is alive and, although not always moving forward at flank speed, has made considerable progress in several ways. Many relatively new programs should be expanded and upgraded, though, particularly those involving

Resilience: Developing Professionalism, Clarifying the Incentives

The QHSR, the BUR, NFPA, and PS-Prep are marching in lockstep in their combined efforts to upgrade the nation’s awareness of resilience as a primary goal of preparedness planning, training, and implementation. Here are some helpful guidelines that political decision makers, budget managers, and operating professionals alike might find useful

Gauging The Threat of an Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) Attack

Among the various threats to the safety and security of a nation, an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attack should not be overlooked. The potential threat of an EMP attack has been recognized since the early 1960s, but the growing debate surrounding this possibility parallels modern civilizations’ growing dependency on electronics and

TOPOFF 4 & Looking Glass RDD Lessons Learned

There are still many important lessons to be learned from the massive “Looking Glass” tabletop exercise carried out almost three years ago just a dirty-bomb’s throw from downtown New York City. Here is a quick and easy primer on some of the most important of those lessons.

The Insurance Industry’s Role in PS-Prep

The much-revered U.S. “private citizen” has become increasingly critical of all levels of government in recent years, according to most recent polls and surveys. And justifiably so, according to a virtual army of pundits and commentators – and many politicians themselves. But that same beloved private citizen, if he or

Update on Private Sector Preparedness (PS-Prep) Standards

The 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks against the WTC Towers & the Pentagon theoretically “galvanized the nation” – but it still took roughly three years before the 9/11 Commission recommended the development and promulgation of “private-sector preparedness standards.” Another six years have passed, and three of those standards are ready

Lessons Learned from EOCs & Their IT Support

The 2009 inauguration of U.S. President Barack Obama, the nation’s first African-American commander in chief, was the biggest – and, of course, best publicized – national “special event” on the long and growing list of emergency-management best-case/worst-case scenarios. Fortunately, most of the lessons learned two years ago involved relatively minor

FINAL REPORT: Evacuation Planning

The DP40 and DomPrep readers assess their opinions on the nationwide progress of evacuation planning. All levels of response, and responsibility, the federal, state, and local jurisdictions of government are required to develop effective evacuation plans and to have those plans in place before, not after, disaster strikes.

Evacuation in the United Kingdom: Reshaping Policy

The “9/11” attacks on the World Trade Center Towers in New York City differed in several respects from the “7/7” bombings of the London transit system. But both of these mass-casualty disasters led to the belated public recognition of terrorism as a clear and present danger – and, from there,

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