HAZMAT ARCHIVES
Taking Flight – Creating a Robust Aviation Response, Part 2
James Origliosso and Sky Terry
October 12, 2022
Volunteer general aviation pilots have assisted their communities during emergencies and disasters for many years. This is the second of a two-part article on their disaster preparedness efforts in the Pacific Northwest. In this part, they participate in two separate yet coordinated functional earthquake and tsunami disaster exercises.
Chemical Sector Perspectives
Patrick Coyle
October 5, 2022
The Chemical Sector is one of 16 sectors identified as critical infrastructure under the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency. Domestic Preparedness invited one subject matter expert to answer important questions about this sector and how the sector and its interdependencies can affect any community.
Lessons From Leading Virtual Operations
Jennifer Pearsall
October 5, 2022
Over the past two and a half years, most emergency preparedness professionals experienced some level of virtual work, even at emergency operations centers (EOC). And it appears that some aspects of working virtually is here to stay – including during a response. This article describes some lessons learned from one
Military Combat Skills for Civilian Disaster Response
Lisa Nenno and Timothy Miller
September 28, 2022
During their service, military personnel acquire a broad range of lifesaving skills that are critical when on the frontline during wartime. Effective medical triage is one of the skills needed during combat and any major disaster or catastrophic event. When preparing and training for all hazards, the learned experience from
Taking Flight – Creating a Robust Aviation Response, Part 1
James Origliosso and Sky Terry
September 28, 2022
General aviation pilots have been finding ways to assist their communities during emergencies and disasters for many years. However, over the past two years, significant advances in disaster preparedness have been made as emergency response plans were created and exercised to integrate volunteer aviation response into other community response efforts.
Uvalde Shooting – A Predictable Surprise
William H. Austin
September 14, 2022
When intentional acts of violence occur, people often wonder if the incident was preventable. For example, after a mass shooting killed 19 students and 2 teachers in Uvalde, Texas, on May 24, 2022, many were questioning the predictability of the gunman’s actions and the decision-making process of the responders. This
Hospital Response – A Personal Training Experience
Erin Valentine
August 17, 2022
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
Reduce Burnout & Increase Retention in Emergency Management
Kesley Richardson
August 10, 2022
In emergency management (EM), the landscape of incoming professionals is evolving from second-career professionals to first-career college graduated practitioners. This change spotlights the difference between management and leadership and its effects on the retention and burnout of professionals. EM professionals see growth in organizations, with “projected growth between 2016 and
The Expanding Role of Tactical Medicine
Ian Pleet
August 10, 2022
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
Wanted: Mental Health Support for Disaster Trauma
Mary McNaughton-Cassill, Mary Schoenfeldt and Ruth Baugher Palmer
August 3, 2022
Disaster response organizations have become increasingly adept at meeting the basic needs of survivors, including shelter, food, water, and medical treatment. However, traumatic disaster-related experiences – including threats to life, exposure to death and injury, and the destruction of homes and communities – also take a psychological toll on survivors. Common responses to
Responding Respectfully to People With Disabilities
James Martin
August 3, 2022
Police officers, firefighters, paramedics, emergency medical technicians, doctors, nurses, and others in emergency response roles are regularly tasked with responding to emergencies and disaster sites and communicating with various people who have been involved in or witnessed an incident. However, some research has shown that there is “a gap in first responders’
Creating a Common Operating Picture for Wildfire Season
Akshay Birla
July 27, 2022
Life is beginning to return to normal following the past two years of the pandemic, but the world is still as unpredictable as ever. When it seems as though one catastrophic situation is coming to an end, another tends to emerge as the newest public safety issue. One set of
