Public Health Security for Mass Gatherings

A mass gathering has been defined by the World Health Organization as a planned or unplanned event at which the number of attendees is “sufficient to strain the planning and response resources of the community, state, or nation.” Fortunately, the strategies needed to address the public health challenge represented by mass gatherings have rapidly evolved in recent years, but emerging threats such as pandemic diseases and terrorism have further complicated the challenges of preparing for such events.

Virtual USA to Enhance Disaster Management

The technological journey from VIPER to Virtual Alabama to Virtual USA is long and sometimes tedious. But it is probably the best and perhaps only sure way to take today’s communications systems from the dangerous present to a future that is safer, technologically sounder, and economically more prudent.

Special Events: Detail-Oriented Details

A visit by the president or any other world leader qualifies as a Special Event. So do visits by other celebrities and dignitaries. For security personnel such visits also entail special workloads, the consideration of all potential hazards and dangers, the emphasis on a clear chain of command, and a rare exception to a time-honored EMS lifesaving principle.

Special-Event Planning – Processes & Procedures

In today’s complicated world the definition of “”Special Events”” has expanded exponentially and now includes a host of activities ranging from Super Bowls and presidential inaugurations to high-school all-star games and spelling championships. Whatever the event, though, the keys to proper preparation are advance planning, the assignment of specific responsibilities to specific agencies, and the establishment of a clear chain of command.

New and Emerging Shelter Technology Provides Solutions for Responders

In many emergency situations the most important and longest-enduring task is finding proper shelter for disaster victims and their families. Ron Houle, DHS Systems’ vice president of government relations, points out that the use of new high-tech fabrics and a focus on advanced technology is leading to the development of more durable and more efficient shelters that should ameliorate this problem considerably both now and for years to come.

Emergency Planning for Special Events

Special Events are exciting, enjoyable, and frequently historic – last year’s U.S. presidential inauguration is the prime example. For emergency managers, security personnel, and other behind-the-scene participants, though, they also are a massive responsibility fraught with hidden dangers, an unending workload, and – far too often – enjoyable only when “”nothing happens.””

The Multi-Tracking Evolution for Emergency Preparedness: 2010 and Beyond

The increase in terrorist attacks in recent years – combined with the ability, and need, to deal both more promptly and more effectively with natural disasters – has led to a greater emphasis on new multi-tracking technologies that, EMSystems CEO Andy Nunemaker points out, give political leaders as well as emergency managers more accurate and more comprehensive information updates – in real time.

Impact of eLearning on Hospital Emergency Preparedness

Rapid advances in eLearning technology have led to rapid advances in the preparedness training available to Emergency Department personnel in hospitals throughout the country, according to DQE President Howard Levitin. However, he adds, that training should be very carefully planned not only to be compatible with the individual hospital’s incident command system but also to accommodate the budgetary and staffing realities affecting, and usually constraining, the daily operations of those same hospitals.

What Gets Measured, Gets Done – The Long and Winding Road of Preparedness Measurement

How does one measure preparedness, particularly in the field of homeland defense? Slowly, most of the time – and very carefully – is the correct answer. But there are other relevant questions that first must be answered. What is being measured, for example? And who, or what agency, is in charge of the measuring? And how will the measurements taken being used?
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