EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES ARCHIVES
Service Animal Awareness in Disaster Response
Melissa Resnick
June 7, 2023
Although they are companions to their human partners, service animals are not pets. Instead, they are trained to perform specific daily tasks, which are often still required when responders are assisting during a hurricane, mass casualty event, or another emergency. As such, emergency planning efforts should include service animals
Covenant School – Reviewing Another Tragic Shooting
Tanya M. Scherr and Daniel Scherr
April 19, 2023
March 2023 saw four school shootings, with the shooting at the Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee, serving as the deadliest and garnering the most media attention. With so much coverage, focus, and effort to counter school shootings since Columbine, it raises the question of why the United States still has so many
Biosafety Laboratory Issues and Failures
Robert C. Hutchinson
April 12, 2023
Concerns regarding unexpected biological incidents and their public health implications were discussed in a 2014 Domestic Preparedness biosecurity and bioterrorism article. From the improper possession and storage of decades-old live smallpox virus in a former Food and Drug Administration laboratory (lab) on the National Institute of Health (NIH) campus to
Guidance for Preparing Professionals Mentally for the Worst
James Greenstone and Weldon Walles
March 22, 2023
Professional groups have debated and researched the best practices relating to the standards and quality of care sufficient to maintain minimum standards during a disaster. Due to the fluid nature of a disaster, it is difficult to abide by a standard that will fit every situation. For example, the onset
Leader of the Pack – Canine Detection
Barb Clark
March 8, 2023
Technology such as drones, robots, listening and visual devices, etc., have successfully been used for search and rescue operations in numerous disaster responses. Yet, in many ways, a tool used for centuries continues to be as valuable, if not more effective, in finding and rescuing lost and trapped persons, recovering
Linking Resilience and Innovation for Emergency Preparedness
Nia D'Emilio and Christopher Tarantino
February 15, 2023
Most industries suggest a certain level of resilience and innovation. It is important to get through challenging times to keep a company going, and “innovate or die” has long been a mantra of the business world. While these concepts – or in some cases, buzzwords – come up in various lines of
Winter Storm – Reimagining Recovery Using Support Functions
Jamie Hannon and Stephanie Wright
February 1, 2023
In early February 2021, Harris County, Texas, and many other jurisdictions began monitoring a Siberian Air Mass that threatened nearly all of North America. This was the genesis of Winter Storm Uri. In the week preceding the storm’s arrival, the Harris County Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Management (HCOHSEM)
Crisis Standards of Care – A Mental Health Perspective
James Greenstone
January 25, 2023
Crisis standards of care and sufficiency of care are topics of great controversy and debate in professional circles. The reasons may be obvious to most. Traditionally, health care responders are trained and held to the standard of care of their profession when rendering aid. Nothing less is acceptable. The public
The Pony Express Rides Again
Monty Dozier
January 18, 2023
In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, health care providers and facilities, local jurisdictions, and state agencies struggled to acquire personal protective equipment (PPE), such as masks, gloves, gowns, and hand sanitizers, for their patients and staff. Supplies of these items were extremely low and getting them shipped proved
Publisher’s Note: Auld Lang Syne (A Chance to Recollect and Restore)
MacGregor Stephenson
December 28, 2022
As we come to the end of a challenging year and a tumultuous period, please know that your efforts
are appreciated, and the sacrifices of you and your families have a significant and positive impact on
all of our communities. On behalf of the Domestic Preparedness Journal, its staff, and its advisory
board,
The Importance of Strong Leadership for a Unique Discipline
Catherine L. Feinman
December 21, 2022
A transformational leadership style can help bridge relationship and communication gaps between
leaders and other community stakeholders. Learn how one young deputy fire chief learned from his past
leadership missteps and honed his meta-leadership skills, which were essential in reconnecting
communities when he became a state emergency manager.
Building Strength in Workforce and Structure
Catherine L. Feinman
December 21, 2022
Each person plays a critical leadership role, from top leadership to frontline workers. The authors in the December edition of the Domestic Preparedness Journal share various ways readers (aka leaders) can build strength and resilience within their workforces and structures.
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