Most recently published
Organophosphates: A Clearly Present Danger
John Temperilli
October 14, 2009
Properly used, chemicals can benefit mankind in many ways. Improperly used – by terrorists, for example – they can be more of a curse than a blessing, and as weapons of mass destruction could be even more dangerous, over a longer period of time, than a nuclear missile.
The Unglamorous Side: Parking Lots, Manhole Covers, and Homeland Security
Neil C. Livingstone
October 7, 2009
The critical infrastructure of the United States is now better protected than it was before the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The same cannot be said for the parking lots next to government buildings, power plants, and other possible targets – most of which can be entered through 22 million “access points”
Understanding Public Health Mutual Aid
Raphael M. Barishansky
October 7, 2009
Friends helping friends, neighbors helping neighbors – it’s Biblical, it’s common sense, and it’s the right thing to do. But it’s also much more complicated in today’s world, when mass-casualty incidents can cause so much damage that very few communities can recover without outside help.
‘Train As You Will Respond’: CDP Hits Half Million Milestone
Kate Rosenblatt
September 23, 2009
FEMA’s Center for Domestic Preparedness has become a world-class model for all-hazards training in a steadily increasing and widely heralded number of courses covering the entire spectrum of the new and still emerging threats in the Brave New World of the 21st century.
Discovery Channel TV Series: The Colony – Week Ten
Adam Montella
September 23, 2009
The ambitious, entertaining, and stunningly innovative series ends with the volunteers’ “Exodus” – “Escape” would be an equally accurate description – to a new and seemingly better world 150 miles or so south, a bit further inland, and apparently blessed with a greater abundance of the resources needed for human
Agricultural Incidents and Effective Multi-Agency Coordination
Mark Ghilarducci and Frank Castro
September 16, 2009
An attack on U.S. cities could topple skyscrapers, destroy seaports, and block highways, tunnels, and bridges. Those are all local effects. An attack on the nation’s food supply could sicken the entire nation, so coordinating a response and recovery operation require a different approach.
CARD’s Incident Command System for Community Responders
Ana-Marie Jones
September 16, 2009
Introduction to an innovative PowerPoint presentation on the how-to fundamentals of developing a united approach for a broad spectrum of agencies pooling their resources to deal with community emergencies faster and more effectively.
Discovery Channel TV Series: The Colony – Week Nine
Adam Montella
September 16, 2009
The Colonists fight, then reunite, but recognize that their chances of long-term survival diminish almost visibly with each passing week. They have done well – exceptionally well, under the circumstances – but know that a brighter tomorrow is many miles away. Can they make it?
Public Health, EMS, Emergency Management: Partners in Preparedness
Kay C. Goss
September 9, 2009
The brave new world of the 21st century has added weapons of mass destruction to the already long list of dangers facing individual citizens, political jurisdictions & humanity in general. The new keys to survival are not good weather and good luck, but cooperation and collaboration at all levels of
Discovery Channel TV Series: The Colony – Week Eight
Adam Montella
September 9, 2009
The survivors gain an additional member, and encounter not one but several additional problems. Tempers flare, supplies dwindle – but human genius provides a spark of mobile optimism. What are the lessons learned that future generations can use to develop and implement their own survival plans?
Team Typing & Other Innovations: The California Way
Jan Dunbar
September 2, 2009
Mutual aid – between emergency responder agencies, and between cities, counties, and other political jurisdictions – is a noble goal, and worth striving for. But all the good will in the world is meaningless if equipment compatibilities are lacking, there are no uniform training rules, and other essential criteria are
Discovery Channel TV Series: The Colony – Week Seven
Adam Montella
September 2, 2009
Another trip (always dangerous) to the L.A. River teaches the Colonists that the challenges they face are psychological and emotional as well as physical. They also know that they need a continuing supply of protein; fortunately, there is a lot of it scurrying about the warehouse.
NIMS & ICS: The Next Level
Stephen Grainer
October 14, 2009
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) resumed the “next” series of its NIMS (National Incident Management System) Incident Command System (ICS) training in August with the delivery of eight ICS position-specific Train-the-Trainer (T-t-T) programs in College Station, Texas, where the Texas Forest Service (TFS) is headquartered – on the
Organophosphates: A Clearly Present Danger
John Temperilli
October 14, 2009
Properly used, chemicals can benefit mankind in many ways. Improperly used – by terrorists, for example – they can be more of a curse than a blessing, and as weapons of mass destruction could be even more dangerous, over a longer period of time, than a nuclear missile.
The Unglamorous Side: Parking Lots, Manhole Covers, and Homeland Security
Neil C. Livingstone
October 7, 2009
The critical infrastructure of the United States is now better protected than it was before the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The same cannot be said for the parking lots next to government buildings, power plants, and other possible targets – most of which can be entered through 22 million “access points”
Understanding Public Health Mutual Aid
Raphael M. Barishansky
October 7, 2009
Friends helping friends, neighbors helping neighbors – it’s Biblical, it’s common sense, and it’s the right thing to do. But it’s also much more complicated in today’s world, when mass-casualty incidents can cause so much damage that very few communities can recover without outside help.
‘Train As You Will Respond’: CDP Hits Half Million Milestone
Kate Rosenblatt
September 23, 2009
FEMA’s Center for Domestic Preparedness has become a world-class model for all-hazards training in a steadily increasing and widely heralded number of courses covering the entire spectrum of the new and still emerging threats in the Brave New World of the 21st century.
Discovery Channel TV Series: The Colony – Week Ten
Adam Montella
September 23, 2009
The ambitious, entertaining, and stunningly innovative series ends with the volunteers’ “Exodus” – “Escape” would be an equally accurate description – to a new and seemingly better world 150 miles or so south, a bit further inland, and apparently blessed with a greater abundance of the resources needed for human
Agricultural Incidents and Effective Multi-Agency Coordination
Mark Ghilarducci and Frank Castro
September 16, 2009
An attack on U.S. cities could topple skyscrapers, destroy seaports, and block highways, tunnels, and bridges. Those are all local effects. An attack on the nation’s food supply could sicken the entire nation, so coordinating a response and recovery operation require a different approach.
CARD’s Incident Command System for Community Responders
Ana-Marie Jones
September 16, 2009
Introduction to an innovative PowerPoint presentation on the how-to fundamentals of developing a united approach for a broad spectrum of agencies pooling their resources to deal with community emergencies faster and more effectively.
Discovery Channel TV Series: The Colony – Week Nine
Adam Montella
September 16, 2009
The Colonists fight, then reunite, but recognize that their chances of long-term survival diminish almost visibly with each passing week. They have done well – exceptionally well, under the circumstances – but know that a brighter tomorrow is many miles away. Can they make it?
Public Health, EMS, Emergency Management: Partners in Preparedness
Kay C. Goss
September 9, 2009
The brave new world of the 21st century has added weapons of mass destruction to the already long list of dangers facing individual citizens, political jurisdictions & humanity in general. The new keys to survival are not good weather and good luck, but cooperation and collaboration at all levels of
Discovery Channel TV Series: The Colony – Week Eight
Adam Montella
September 9, 2009
The survivors gain an additional member, and encounter not one but several additional problems. Tempers flare, supplies dwindle – but human genius provides a spark of mobile optimism. What are the lessons learned that future generations can use to develop and implement their own survival plans?
Team Typing & Other Innovations: The California Way
Jan Dunbar
September 2, 2009
Mutual aid – between emergency responder agencies, and between cities, counties, and other political jurisdictions – is a noble goal, and worth striving for. But all the good will in the world is meaningless if equipment compatibilities are lacking, there are no uniform training rules, and other essential criteria are
Responding to Incidents in a Neighboring Port
Corey Ranslem
August 26, 2009
The U.S. port system is huge, complex, and immensely important to the nation’s economy and to homeland security. The 24/7 protection of that system is an extremely difficult task and usually involves a host of different organizations and agencies working in close cooperation with one another.
EMS: Increased Emphasis on the Medical Aspect
Joseph Cahill
August 26, 2009
The still ongoing professionalization of the EMS field has been a gradual but hugely successful undertaking that has resulted not only in the saving of many, many lives but also has made those lives richer, less painful, and longer-lasting.
Discovery Channel TV Series: The Colony – Week Six
Adam Montella
August 26, 2009
The ten volunteers continue their quest for survival – but are suddenly rocked by the unexpected, and unexplained, disappearance of one of their members. The “real” loss of this one person is in some ways emotionally more distressing than the cataclysmic loss of the entire nation in which they had
Qualifications, Credentials, and a Need for Speed
Glen Rudner
August 19, 2009
Progress in the development of a national credentialing system has ranged from slow to slower. Which is no longer good enough for government work, particularly in the new Age of Terrorism when the nation’s enemies strike suddenly, at random, and without remorse.
Discovery Channel TV Series: The Colony – Week Five
Adam Montella
August 19, 2009
The volunteers learn that hard work, good intentions, and ingenious solutions will not ensure their survival. What also is needed is elected or appointed leadership. And maybe a few common-sense laws applicable to all hands.
National Recovery Doctrine: The Next Preparedness Frontier
Dennis R. Schrader
August 19, 2009
Recovery operations cannot begin until the first responders have finished their work. But recovery plans can and should be in place well before disaster strikes. To date, though, there has been very little movement on the promulgation of a detailed Recovery Doctrine.
The Development of National Standards for Credentialing
Diana Hopkins
August 12, 2009
Who goes there? And what are his/her skills, professional qualifications, and other capabilities? The only sure way to answer these and other questions posed in times of crisis is through a national credentialing system that takes into account a long list of practical requirements and possible pitfalls.
Managing the SNS Stockpile: A Case Study
Joseph Cahill
August 12, 2009
The Strategic National Stockpile (of vaccines, pharmaceuticals, and other medical supplies) is one of the most important “”tools”” available to fight a pandemic. This case study tells how two states worked with Upp Technology Inc. to sharpen that tool and make it exponentially more effective.
Discovery Channel TV Series: The Colony – Week Four
Adam Montella
August 12, 2009
The volunteers continue their efforts to build a new and better world from the destruction all around them. But they also must take time to protect themselves from attack by other survivors not as well intentioned.
Emergency Services Credentialing: FEMA Leads the Way
Kay C. Goss
August 5, 2009
NCR, ANSI, and Commonwealth of Virginia also in the vanguard as states, cities, and even private-sector agencies and organizations pool resources to standardize and upgrade security checks at major events that attract large crowds – including terrorists and other criminals seeking to gain national and global recognition.
A New and Challenging Era for Rural Homeland Security
Jonathan A. Dudek
August 5, 2009
For more than two centuries the great state of Maine was known and cherished for its rustic simplicity – which, of course, made it a particularly attractive take-off point for two of the Islamic fundamentalists involved in the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Discovery Channel TV Series: The Colony – Week Three
Adam Montella
August 5, 2009
After securing the basic necessities for survival, episode three found the volunteers focusing on the one creature comfort they can’t live without: a hot shower. But focusing on comfort left them open to a massive attack that threatened their long-term survival. The take away lesson is how to cope with
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