Radiological Preparedness: A Short Primer
Jeffrey Williams
September 12, 2012
The higher likelihood of a chemical or biological terrorist attack makes such incidents the focus
of many education and training exercises. Preparing for a Fukushima-like nuclear incident, whether
accidental or deliberate, must be addressed by educating the public, understanding how to best detect
radioactive material, and protecting the population before an actual threat emerges.
Radiation Contamination of Emergency Equipment
Joseph Cahill
September 5, 2012
In 1945, Nagasaki became the second Japanese city destroyed by an atomic bomb in the closing days of World War II. The nuclear explosion caused immediate damage and killed tens of thousands of people, but the radiological contamination that remained took many additional lives. A crisis at a nuclear power station such as the one that devastated the Fukushima area in the northeast corner of Japan’s main island in 2011 posed many of the same challenges as a deliberate radiological attack.
Countermeasures to Cope With Radioactive Exposure
W. Craig Vanderwagen
September 5, 2012
The threat posed by an intentional manmade explosion from a radiation dispersal device, a nuclear detonation, or an accidental failure of a nuclear power plant persists. Recent events have brought these threats into focus over the past couple years – e.g., the Iranian plans for nuclear development and the earthquake/tsunami/nuclear radiation event in Fukushima.
The Future of Resilience
Marc Glasser
August 29, 2012
Preparing for, responding to, and recovering from disasters as well as everyday events are important steps in the process of emergency management. Resilience as an important component of emergency management is a fairly new concept, but successful resilience depends on leaders who can modify that concept to fit their own organizations’ needs to effectively reduce future response and recovery times.
DPJ Book Review: Centerline
Randall (Randy) Larsen
August 28, 2012
“Everybody who goes to war gets shot,” one soldier says. “Some in the body. Some in the head. Some
in the heart.” The National Center for Veterans Analysis and Statistics (NCVAS) estimates that, as of 30
September 2011, the nation’s veteran population is more than 22.2 million. Although the journey home for
each soldier, airman, and medical caregiver is different, “Centerline” depicts the individual, yet
common, story of many of them.
