The Path to Longer-Term Resilience
Mara BĂșn
August 22, 2012
Smoke thickened, black ash fell from the sky, and fire sirens wailed as residents fled for their lives – ortried to get back to their homes. They were all in a life-or-death race against Australia’s “Black Saturday”bushfires, which devastated huge areas of Victoria. Numerous lives were lost, thousands of citizens were displaced, and the entire nation realized that previous recovery and rebuilding plans were inadequate.
Intelligence-Led Policing: Contributions to Community Resilience
Joseph W. Trindal
August 22, 2012
Law enforcementâs role in expanding and improving âWhole of Communityâ resilience is continuing to develop at a rapid rate. In most communities, incorporating the concept known as âintelligence-led policingâ continues to progress. Therefore, todayâs police service agencies are now in aneal position to contribute substantively to strengthening community resilience across the nationâs public and private sectors.
Radiation Resources for First Responders
George Mills
August 22, 2012
There is no room for error during a radiological event. For that reason, information must be
readily available and as accurate as possible. Listen to subject matter experts from the Association of
State and Territorial Health Officials, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as they
discuss the types of resources available and how communities are working together to provide the best
programs for dealing with radiological hazards.
Mass Transit Security Force Multipliers
Douglas McDaniel
August 15, 2012
Situational awareness and information sharing are key factors in the guidelines recommended for mitigating terrorist threats. By developing the standards and policies needed to train all employees to recognize and report suspicious activity – and regularly reassessing such training – mass transit agencies can build a strong front line of defense and reduce current vulnerabilities.
The ABCs of Transportation Planning for Special Events
Laurel J. Radow
August 15, 2012
Washington Nationals’ owner Mark Lerner recently told The Washington Times that his team “would love to host a future All-Star Game.” That honor, though, would require extensive preparations to ensure the safety and security of people in and around the nation’s capital. Fortunately, the Federal Highway Administration has many useful plans and programs available to assist with such preparations.
Improving Healthcare Sector Interoperability
Thomas Russo
August 8, 2012
Having choices opens many opportunities for patients and responders as well as medical staff within the U.S. healthcare system. However, that benefit has led to complications in communications and the sharing of information. Healthcare coalitions are seeking better ways to meet daily operational goals while at the same time expanding the capabilities available to cope with emergency surges and mass-casualty incidents.
Disaster Operations for Businesses: Options & Opportunities
Amy Major
August 8, 2012
Representatives of a Business Operations Center (BOC) ensure that the public sector obtains the resources needed during a disaster. In addition, the BOC offers private-sector volunteers an opportunity to play a critical role in disaster response while at the same time helping to reduce lost business revenue and building resiliency for their own companies and organizations.
Building/Improving Community Health Resilience
Jeffrey Stiefel
August 1, 2012
In the immediate aftermath of a disaster, reporters show images of communities that are faced with destruction and a need to rebuild. However, there is often an even greater devastation with even harder pieces to pick up – the mental and physical health effects. Both types of recovery are required and both should be included in a community’s resilience framework.
The Fallacy of Disaster Resilience
Joseph Cahill
August 1, 2012
Doctors, nurses, and other highly visible professionals get the greatest credit, deservedly, in most public-health incidents and events. Playing increasingly important roles, though – before, during, and after such incidents – are the nation’s unsung and much less publicized sanitarians whose special expertise in numerous operational scenarios is finally being recognized.
Resilience & Emergency Management: All Hazards, All Phases, All Stakeholders
Kay C. Goss
August 1, 2012
Although there is no universally accepted definition of the term “Resilience,” there is no doubt that planners and responders throughout the world are working to achieve it. The residents of Greenburg, Kansas, are a typical example. After the city was hit in 2007 with an EF5 tornado broader in scope than the city itself, its response was to come back stronger, and more resilient, than ever before.
