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Hospital Security: An Age-Old Problem Becomes Increasingly Important

The nation’s healthcare workers could become an endangered species if numerous planned improvements in hospital security are not funded and implemented in the near future. Here is a quick look at some of the innovative design upgrades recently introduced.

DHS STEPs Forward to Identify NIMS Technology

Homeland Security Presidential Directive 5 (HSPD-5), which required the development of a National Incident Management System (NIMS) framework to coordinate the responses of local, state, and federal agencies to domestic terrorist attacks, was signed in December 2003. The NIMS framework is based on the Incident Command System (ICS) developed by

Emergency Operations Centers: The Heartbeat of Disaster Management

Emergency Operations Centers (EOCs) are complex facilities to design and build. Many emergency managers and other participants in response operations may be involved in only one new facility or only one remodeling during their careers. To begin with, it is a major challenge to obtain funding for an EOC that

Multipurpose Buildings: A Towering Challenge for Security Planners

From parking lots to elevators & escalators to penthouse apartments – every room and every floor in the office and residential buildings now being designed represents a different type of danger. Here is a handy list of some of the more avoidable ones.

TERT Takes Toxic Approach to Emergency Response

Chemicals, biological agents, and other dangerous substances are among the key instructional materials used to train hazmat technicians and other first responders participating in the CDP’s upgraded “COBRA course” in Anniston, Alabama.

NIMS Preparedness and Resource Management

One of the core components of the National Incident Management System (NIMS) is Resource Management. Preparedness is another. The other principal components are: Communications and Information Management; Command and Management; and On-Going Management and Maintenance. Because both Resource Management and Preparedness affect and are affected by the other NIMS components

Hybridizing the Power Supply

Enhance emergency preparedness by installing heating systems that also can generate electrical power during severe weather. The most important benefit, though, would be not a change in equipment but a change both in thinking & in planning ahead.

Stadium and Venue Security

Crowd control is today both a challenge and a necessity, as demonstrated by the Beijing Olympics and this summer’s political conventions. The controls used, though, are often resented, and frequently expensive – but not as costly as a terrorist attack. A terrorist walks into a football stadium on a beautiful

CPG 101: All Hazards and All Phases

Emergency planning has a long, rich history not only in the United States but also in other industrialized countries throughout the world. The Federal Civil Defense Guide was compiled and promulgated during the 1960s. Next came the Civil Preparedness Guide in the 1970s. For the last 12 years its successor – the State and Local

Higher Fuel Costs, Less Public Safety

The rising cost of fuel is having a significant, and adverse, impact on not only individual consumers but also the operations of all levels of government – and private-sector organizations and agencies as well. Businesses are forced to limit face-to-face visits with clients, and more of them are allowing employees

Local Emergency Management: The CFATS Challenge

Chemical facilities have always been a concern for local first responders. Most major chemical accidents rapidly overwhelm community emergency-services capabilities. Until the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001, U.S. emergency-services agencies viewed chemical incidents as accidental events – and the tragic Bhopal (India) toxic chemical release in 1984 had already

Hospital Decontamination: Many Questions, But Few Answers

From “two-lane” decon lanes to high-tech detection equipment and personal protective gear, most U.S. hospitals are behind the curve in preparing to deal with mass-casualty decontamination incidents. What can be done about it?

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