HAZMAT ARCHIVES

Hazmat on the Rail

Since February 3, 2023, following the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, the public has closely followed reports and commentary by media outlets and elected officials. This incident has become more controversial and publicized than others in recent years and has caused a public outcry for change.

Beachie Creek Fire – A Practitioner’s Firsthand Account

When disaster strikes, sometimes those trained to respond find themselves and their families fleeing from the fire. Once their families are safe, they jump back in to assist wherever needed. This scenario happened to one emergency manager when the Beachie Creek wildfire engulfed surrounding Oregon communities with little warning.

The Importance of Strong Leadership for a Unique Discipline

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

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.

Find Chances to Make Positive Changes

Emergency preparedness and response professionals willingly insert themselves into many emergencies and disasters that they could have avoided in other professions. However, they use these opportunities to make positive changes and build resiliency within their communities.

Avoiding the Complacency Trap After This Hurricane Season

Despite punishing hurricanes in Puerto Rico and Florida, the 2022 season has been relatively quiet for much of the Gulf coast and Atlantic seaboard. This article describes the resources that help communities mitigate risk now before the next hurricane season.

Nuclear Threats Against the Homeland: Impact and Preparation

How the war in Ukraine will end is unclear. However, research shows that there is the potential for devastating effects on a global scale. As such, it is important for emergency planners to reassess their all-hazards plans to ensure their communities identify the threats and ensure their planning processes include

Rationale for Structuring Pandemic Response on a War Footing

Given 20 years of pandemic planning, is it not surprising when people ask, “Why were we not ready?” This question should be explored whether the time has come to put the country on a warlike footing for pandemic response with a coherent, institutionalized, and tested pandemic policy.

Hospital Response – A Personal Training Experience

Effective trainings are ones where the participants remember and later implement what they learned into their daily operations. Not everyone knows how they would respond in a true emergency. However, some trainings provide a more realistic glimpse into disaster scenarios than others. This first-hand account describes what it was like for one participant

What Preparedness & Response Leaders Need in the New Normal

To address the challenges that emergency preparedness professionals face in an ever-changing threat environment, the Domestic Preparedness Journal hosted a panel discussion at the Texas Emergency Management Conference in San Antonio, Texas, on June 2, 2022. The multidiscipline panel was moderated by James (Jim) Featherstone, a principal consultant at a crisis management consultant agency,

Building Capability: Zero Tolerance vs. Acceptability

A tool designed with zero tolerance would not be able to function efficiently or effectively. Likewise, taking a zero-tolerance approach to emergency preparedness and response has led to some problematic policies and procedures. This article explains why building in some level of acceptability would make policies and procedures more effective and communities more

Working Together: Partnership, Training, Funding & Tolerance

When community stakeholders work together to prepare for emergencies and disasters, they will be better prepared and have more resources to face whatever threats, risks, and hazards are in their future. Four key aspects to consider when building community resilience are addressed in this June edition of the Domestic Preparedness Journal: public-private partnerships,

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