Nuclear Enterprise: DOD and NNSA Could Further Enhance How They Manage Risk and Prioritize Efforts
Domestic Preparedness
January 31, 2022
The U.S. nuclear enterprise comprises two portfolios managed by the Department of Defense (DOD) and the Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). DOD and NNSA have begun implementing some processes to improve risk management within their respective nuclear portfolios.
National LEPC-TEPC Handbook
Domestic Preparedness
January 31, 2022
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) developed this national handbook as a resource for local and tribal emergency planning committees (LEPCs and TEPCs) to strengthen community preparedness for accidental chemical releases. It compiles and expands upon existing guidance materials for the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) and its amendments under the America’s Water Infrastructure Act (AWIA) of 2018. This resource will be particularly helpful for new members of tribal and local organizations responsible for implementing EPCRA and for communities that may deal with chemical accidents
U.S. Secret Service: Further Progress Made Implementing the Protective Mission Panel Recommendations
Domestic Preparedness
January 31, 2022
The Secret Service Overtime Pay Extension Act includes a provision for the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to report on the extent of progress made by the Secret Service in implementing the panel’s recommendations.
U.S. Ports of Entry: Update on CBP Public-Private Partnership Programs
Domestic Preparedness
January 31, 2022
This fifth annual report updates key information from the Government Accountability Office’s (GAO) January 2021 report by examining the status of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) public-private partnership program agreements
Predictable Surge: A Pilot in Providence
Sara Kelly
January 26, 2022
Collaboration between public entities and private companies is essential to prepare for disasters. However, current partnerships can be formal and cumbersome to the point of detriment, or impromptu and do little to achieve their goals. This unmet need to find appropriate partnership mechanisms could be addressed by the Harvard National Preparedness Leadership Initiative (NPLI)’s Predictable Surge framework, a model presented in Domestic Preparedness Journal in August 2019. It aims to inform an emergency manager’s understanding of the response ecosystem and productively engage potential private partners. This model has been further developed through a pilot with the Providence Emergency Management Agency (PEMA), located in Providence, Rhode Island, in the summer of 2021.
Finding New Ways to Prepare
Catherine L. Feinman
January 26, 2022
One common sentiment that can hold people back from thinking outside the box is, “That’s how it’s
always been done.” Lessons learned and best practices are critical components of disaster preparedness
efforts. However, no matter how many lessons are learned and best practices are discovered, the pursuit
for new lessons and even better practices should never end. In this January 2022 edition of the Domestic
Preparedness Journal, a new year begins with four new ways of looking at disaster preparedness.
How A Smart Electric Grid Will Power Our Future
Domestic Preparedness
January 25, 2022
A novel plan that offers partnership in keeping the United States electric grid stable and reliable could be a win-win for consumers and utility operators. The largest ever simulation of its kind, modeled on the Texas power grid
Biden-Harris Administration Awards $103 Million in American Rescue Plan Funds to Reduce Burnout and Promote Mental Health and Wellness Among Health Care Workforce
Domestic Preparedness
January 24, 2022
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), today announced $103 million in awards to improve the retention of health care workers
U.S. Departments of Homeland Security and Education Release Toolkit of Federal Resources to Help Rebuild Puerto Rico’s School Infrastructure
Domestic Preparedness
January 24, 2022
The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and the U.S. Department of Education released a toolkit outlining federal resources available to help Puerto Rico recover and rebuild safe, healthy, and modernized school facilities.
The Evolving Status of Emergency Management Organizations
Kyle R. Overly
January 19, 2022
The proliferation of climate change, political strife, and general societal divisiveness is changing the nature of the work of emergency managers. The (ongoing) COVID-19 global pandemic, devastating hurricane and wildfire seasons, tenuous political situations, and broad unrest impact local communities in significant ways. Emergency managers are those who officials trust to lead response and recovery to this growing list of emergencies and disasters. They facilitate multi-agency responses to complex incidents, often serving in silence while providing critical backbone services.
